A Demon's Sacrifice
by TheNightWhispers
Summary: Naruto is sent on a mission with Team 7 to investigate strange activity near Konoha. But,once there, he's transported to a different world. Kacia is plagued with dreams of war and a mysterious boy. Can he save both worlds. Or will they cease to exist forever? ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Hey hey hey! So I should be updating my other stories but this one was dying to be written so here it is! :P this is my first Percy Jackson and Naruto crossover so be nice….or not, whatever. Annnyway, constructive criticism is welcomed blah blah blah. Oh, and this story is set when Naruto is 16. And bold with italics (**_**like this)**_** means a dream. Please review! *grins***

**.::**_Chapter 1—The Pretender_**::.**

**.::**_Naruto's POV_**::.**

I groaned as I felt someone shake my shoulder. I rolled over and pushed the hand away. A few seconds later and a fist connected with my head. My eyes shot open and sat up, rubbing my head. Sakura stood over me with her arms crossed over her chest.

"What was that for?" I mumbled, inwardly groaning at the time.

"Get dressed," Sakura replied, "Tsunade-sama wants to see us." What could Grandma Tsunade want at this hour? It's barely even light outside.

"What's she want this early?" I mumbled, standing and slipping a shirt over my head. Sakura shrugged and started towards the door to my apartment.

"Meet me and Sai at the Hokage Tower," She said as she opened the door and walked out, shutting it quietly behind her. I got finished getting dressed and tied my forehead protector on and my weapon pouch to my waist. I walked out of my apartment and down the three flights of stairs then started towards the Hokage Tower. The sky was grey and dark clouds gathered in the distance, signaling rain. Few people walked the streets, which is what I expected. It was way too early. But, hopefully we had a mission. I hadn't been on one in a few days and I was growing bored. Soon, I reached the Hokage Tower and weaved through the halls towards Grandma Tsunade's office. Sai, Sakura and Captain Yamato were already there. Kakashi must be on a different mission. Grandma Tsunade looked up from her desk as I entered and stood by Sai. He had his usual blank face and frown. Captain Yamato looked concerned, as did Sakura.

"So…why's everybody so worried?" I asked slowly, looking at Grandma Tsunade.

"The strange…occurrences on the border have grown more and more frequent," She replied, standing with her palms resting on the table. I should have figured. Lately there have been weird sightings on the border. The ANBU who patrolled the borders described them as holographic images of people and creatures. Some of the creatures were huge dog-like beasts and something with the body of a man and a head of a bull. What people they saw they didn't recognize. They said they carried swords among other strange weapons. Some of the people even had powers, like controlling water.

"The images have also grown more tangible," Tsunade continued, "A few ANBU claimed to have been attacked." I raised my eyebrows. Great.

"Is it some sort of genjutsu?" Captain Yamato asked, scrunching his face up. Grandma Tsunade shook her head.

"No, unfortunately."

"So, you would like us to check out the area?" Sakura asked, speaking for the first time. Grandma Tsunade nodded and rummaged around in a stack of papers on her desk. Once she found the papers she was looking for, she handed them to Captain Yamato.

"The main area of the sightings is circled," Tsunade said, "What information we have is listed." Yamato nodded and skimmed the papers.

"We'll leave immediately," He said, closing the file the papers were in. With that, Tsunade said good luck and we started out of the Hokage Tower. The mission seemed easy enough. I mean, all we're doing is going to some area and looking for weird images and possibly fighting them. How a holographic image could attack you I didn't know. The only reason I could think of, aside from genjutsu, would be a shadow-clone. But, it was obviously not that. I glanced over at Sai, trying to see if I could figure out what he was thinking. He noticed me watching and smiled that weird smile of his. I made a face and looked away.

"Something wrong?" He asked. I looked at him sidelong. He was probably asking in reference to one of his weird books. I don't see why he read those things.

"No…" I said and hurried to catch up to Sakura and Captain Yamato. Once out of the Tower, Yamato left, saying he needed to get some stuff. So, we waited around for him. By now, the sun had risen and people walked around the streets.

"I wonder if we'll find anything," I finally said, tired of the silence.

"I doubt there's much we could do," Sakura said, "Even if we do find anything." I looked over at her. She looked somewhat tired. Probably because she was staying up late working. I don't understand why she did that. It couldn't be good for her.

"The images have to be coming from somewhere," I said, "All we have to do is figure where that place is."

"But," Sai joined in, "The things people are seeing aren't from here. So, however they got here is probably by some means we aren't familiar with." Good point. Sakura sighed from where she stood by the wall.

"We'll figure it out," I said, smiling, "I promise." She looked at me and smiled faintly.

A few minutes later and Captain Yamato returned. We headed out of the village and into the surrounding land. We jumped through the trees, following Yamato's lead. After an uneventful and boring couple of hours, we reached the area where all the sightings had been. I stopped, surveying the area, as did everyone else. It was obvious something or things had been here. There were long and deep gashes in the trees, rocks and ground. Trees were knocked over and there were footprints. Some human, others not. I jumped down and wondered around. Blood was splattered here and there. The weird thing is that a gold color seemed to be mixed into it. What creature had gold and crimson blood?

"Captain Yamato, there's a gold color mixed in with the blood," Sakura called, obviously noticing it to. Yamato examined the blood, an unreadable expression on his face. He stood from his crouch and faced Sai, who was looking at one of the nonhuman imprints.

"Scout the air and see how far the damage extends. If you see anything out of the ordinary, contact us immediately." Sai nodded and took out a scroll then did a hand sign. A huge bird appeared and he hopped onto its back and flew off. I walked over to an imprint of what looked like a human mixed with a bull.

"What the hell did this?" I muttered more to myself. I clinched my fist. What did this; it sure as hell wasn't going to attack the village.

"Captain Yamato! Naruto! Come look at this!" I ran towards Sakura's voice, Yamato close behind. We burst through the trees into a clearing. It was obvious there was a fight. There wasn't any blood, but there were indentations where someone had been thrown or smashed onto the ground. Sakura stood off to the side, crouched over something. We strode over and peered over her shoulder. A pile of what looked like gold dust sat on the ground. The wind had scattered it somewhat.

"What is that?" I asked, sifting it between my fingers. Sakura shook her head, dumbstruck.

"It was most likely a result of the fight that took place," Yamato said, his eyes roaming the clearing. Sakura took out a small plastic bag out of her pouch and placed some of the gold dust inside.

"I'll take it back to the lab. Maybe it'll give us a lead on what was here." I nodded and stood. Static crackled on our headsets then Sai's voice came in.

"The damage extends for about a mile west. Also, I found something strange."

"What was it?" Captain Yamato asked. More static sounded briefly.

"A door," Sai replied.

"A door?" I asked. What was a door doing in the middle of nowhere?

"Yes. I will take you to it." The headset went silent. A few minutes later and Sai's bird flew down and landed in the clearing. Sai jumped down and the bird disappeared. He led us into the forest, going west. Along the way we saw more gashes and fallen trees. The only thing we didn't see was more of the gold dust. I could tell Sakura was appalled at the damage. I wouldn't blame her. I had known about the strange sightings, but I never thought it'd be like this. Something flashed to my left and I looked around. Someone ran by then disappeared behind a tree.

"Hey!" I yelled, turning to go after it. I heard Sakura and Captain Yamato call my name but ignored them. I went through the trees, looking for whoever I saw. I heard everyone else following some ways behind. I saw him and stopped, jumping down to land a few feet away.

"Who are you?" I demanded, "And what do you want?" They guys form flickered as he turned towards me. He looked to be maybe a little older than me and had black hair with sea green eyes. When he saw me, his eyes narrowed. He slipped one hand into his pocket then said something I only caught pieces of.

"…..Any harm. Where am I?"

"You're in Konoha," I told him, "And if you don't mean any harm explain all the damage you've done!" The guy made a confused face and took a step towards me.

"I don't know what you're talking about…." Whatever else he said was drowned out as his form flickered and he disappeared. I ran forward and tried to grab him but he was gone before I reached him. I cursed under my breath as Sakura jumped down next to me.

"You shouldn't be running off like that," She snapped, then noticed my face, "What's wrong?"

"I saw one of them," I told her.

"Did he say anything?"

"I couldn't hear all he said. He didn't know where he was or anything about the damage." Sakura nodded and put a hand on my shoulder then jumped back into the trees. I followed and we met up with Captain Yamato and Sai nearby. I told them about the guy and Yamato nodded.

"You'll have to tell Tsunade." I nodded, only halfway listening. We set off towards the door that Sai saw. Soon, we reached an open field. Sure enough, there was the door. It was arched and stood at least twelve feet tall. The frame was a gold color and the doors were crimson. On each door was a big gold loop, serving as door handles. It didn't lead anywhere. It was just a door in an open field. No matter how long we stood there nothing happened. Growing impatient, I strode up to it and touched the surface. As if pushed by an invisible wind, the doors swung open, revealing a black hole. I was yanked forward through the door and into the hole. I felt a branch of wood wrap around my ankle in a vain attempt to pull me back. My sight went black and I felt as if I were falling. I faintly heard Sakura scream my name then I went unconscious.

**.::**_Kacia's POV_**::.**

_**Why did Half-Bloods always have to have these weird dreams? They were so annoying. I saw two young boys, one with blonde hair the other black, encircled with what looked to be mirrors. They had needles protruding from their bodies. The one with blonde hair collapsed, probably from exhaustion. A form appeared in one of the mirrors, a mask covering his face, and he threw some needles at the blonde boy. Before they could reach him though, the black haired boy stood in the way. He said something to the blonde haired one then collapsed. The blonde boy held him, a horrified and angered look on his face. He looked at the form in the mirror and said something then this orange stuff appeared around his body. With surprising speed, he attacked the form in the mirror. **_

_** The scene changed and the same blonde boy, only older, was in a forest. He was with a girl and two other guys. The girl, oddly, had pink hair, one boy had short black hair and wore a shirt that only went down to his mid-section. It was gross and made him look gay, anyway, the other man had light brown hair. He had this weird metal looking thing that covered his forehead and framed the side of his face. They traveled through the trees and soon reached an area that looked like it had been destroyed. There were a few fallen trees and deep, long gashes covered what trees weren't knocked down, along with the ground and rocks. Blood was splattered here and there. I realized that mixed into the blood was a gold color. Demigod blood. **_

My eyes shot open and I sat up. What the hell was that all about? Some dude wondering around a destroyed forest with demigod blood everywhere. I certainly didn't know him or his friends. So, why were they in my dreams? I stood and climbed out of bed. I changed into some ripped jeans and dark red T-shirt then pulled a black hoodie over my head. I shoved my converse onto my feet then grabbed my IPod and walked out of my room. I strode out of my apartment and locked the door then started down the two flights of stairs. Once outside, I put in my earphones and put my IPod on shuffle. I had a little while until school, so I wondered aimlessly. A certain song came on and I started singing to the music.

"Keep you in the dark, you know they all pretend. Keep you in the dark and so it all began. Send in your skeletons, sing as their bones come marching in…again. They need you buried deep; the secrets that you keep are at the ready. Are you ready? I'm finished making sense, done pleading ignorance. That whole, defense. Spinning infinity, boy, the wheel is spinning me. It's never ending, never ending, same old story. What if I say I'm not like the others? What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays? You're the Pretender! What if I say I will never surrender? In time, or so I'm told, I'm just another soul to sell. Oh well. The page is out of print—we are not permanent. We're temporary, temporary. Same old story..." 

Practically my life story right there. You'll probably find out sooner or later, so I might as well tell you. I'm a Demi-Titan. My Father's Kronos, Lord of Time. My Mothers Ashley Thorne. But, she died trying to protect me. My Father grew fed up and attacked me. Can't you just feel the love? Yeah right. So, my mother protected me and she died. That was when I was four. I lived on the streets for a few months until someone found me and checked me into an orphanage. Since I'm a Demi-Titan, it's natural that I'd be hunted down by various monsters. So, I left all the orphanages so nobody would die because of me. I was in and out of orphanages for years. Then when I was ten, I grew sick of all the people feeding me lies, so I left for good. They always said that someone would take care of me. That someone out there loved me. I wish I knew then what I know now. So, after I left the orphanages, I ran and never stopped. Along the way I found Brianna and Max. I stayed with them for the longest time. They taught me all I knew now. I thought I had finally found a family. But I was naive and they betrayed me.

We were surrounded by Kronos' men. Half-bloods and monsters that my Father had deceived. We had defeated most of them. But, in the middle of the battle, when I was starting to grow tired. They turned on me. Max and Brianna—the two people I loved and trusted with my life—had tried to kill me. That was when I was thirteen, three years ago. Since then, I've never trusted a single person. Of course, I won't pretend I'm perfect. I've been the betrayer to. Not that I'm proud of it. All that to say, people are liars—they just pretend to be there for you when they really could care less. There is not one single honest person in this godforsaken world. That's enough of my sob story though. I paused by Starbucks and walked through the doors. A man in his forties sat at a table to my left, bent over his laptop, typing fiercely. A little ways from him was a woman, sitting by the window sipping her drink and watching the people outside. A half eaten muffin lied in front of her. I took one earphone out and strode up to the counter.

"I'll have a medium vanilla latte and a blue-burry scone," I told the lady. She pushed some buttons on register then told me the price. I dug into my pocket and laid the cash on the counter. She opened the tray and placed the cash inside then handed me some change. I took it and let the coins fall into my pocket.

"And your name?" she asked, holding a cup and sharpie in her hands.

"Kacia," I said with the slightest hesitation. Did I mention that people were looking for me? I was a runaway according to the cops and I didn't have the cleanest record. Thankfully, the lady didn't seem to recognize the name or my face for that matter. She just wrote my name on the cup then handed it to the guy in back, who started making my latte. I took a couple steps back and stood waiting for my stuff. I noticed an older woman in the shadows watching me. I hadn't noticed her before, which is a little weird for me. _They_ had taught me to always be observant. Guess that dream had shaken me up more than I thought. The older woman had long, snow white hair that fell to her waist in a braid. She was wearing white, loosely fit pants and a grey T-shirt peeking out of a black trench coat. It was barley fall and she was wearing a trench coat? Some old people are so weird, but I made a mental note anyway. She wore dark sunglasses, which I could see my reflection in even where I stood. She watched me and I narrowed my eyes, feeling my muscles tense. The guy behind the counter called my name and I walked over and took my latte and scone. I walked out the door and started towards my school, a couple of blocks away.

Once at my school, Xavier High-School, I tossed my finished latte into the trash then grabbed my books from my locker. I went to my first class, History. As I strode into the classroom, all eyes turned to me. The teacher, Ms. Talbot, smiled not-so-warmly at me.

"Ah, Ms. Thorne," She said, "I'm glad you decided to join us. Please, take a seat." I rolled my eyes. I'd be surprised if Ms. Talbot was glad to see anyone. But, I walked to the back of the class and sat at my desk, dumping my books onto it. The rest of the day went pretty much as usual. After History, I swapped my books for the ones I would need for English. After that, I went to Algebra 2, then Chemistry. After _that_ was lunch, then PE. In PE I got into a fight with Josh Taylor. What? The boy wouldn't leave me alone. And he insulted my Mother. So, I got detention for the next period. Once that was over it was study hall. In which I just listened to my IPod and took a nap. The next class was just a technology class that I took just to fill in that period of time. So, I stuffed all my books into my messenger mag. I slung the bag over one shoulder then started towards the front doors. I pushed through the doors and walked down the steps then felt someone watching me. I stopped and looked around. A Fury swooped down from the roof of the school, its talons extended towards me. I dropped to the ground and pressed a jewel on my bracelet and two twin blades connected to each other with a long, black chain appeared in my hands. The blade was gold, like most blades for Demi-Titans or Demigods, but mine had an obsidian streak going down the middle of each blade. I rose and turned to face it as it hovered in the air.

"Where's the boy?" It hissed. I narrowed my eyes at it. The boy? What the hell?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, slowly circling it. The Fury growled and lunged at me. I swung my blade in an upward arc as it flew above me. I gashed its underside as its talons raked my shoulder. I gritted my teeth against the pain. It twisted and came back around.

"Where is he?" It screeched again. I jumped to the side as it dived at me. I hit the ground on my uninjured shoulder and glared up at it. I really hated these things. But, who was this boy that it wanted? Could it be the one in my dream? Which, would be extremely creepy. But, not unusual. Oh, the life of a Demi-Titan. We kill annoying monsters, risk our lives to save the world and dream about boys. I stood and slashed my blades at the Fury, evading its talons. We exchanged blows for a few minutes then I was buffeted to the ground by its wings. I fell on my back with a thud. I struggled as it pinned my arms to the ground with its feet.

"Don't play dumb with me, girl," it hissed, starring at me with its coal black eyes, "I know you have the boy. Now, where is he?"

"For the last time, I don't have him!" I yelled and kicked its chest, making it stagger backwards. I leapt to my feet and lunged forward, slashing its head off with my blades. Its body turned to gold dust and sat in a pile on the ground.

"Rot in Hades," I muttered then strode over to my bag and picked it up. I noticed a few people starring, awestruck looks on their faces. I glared at them.

"Get lost!" They quickly dispersed and I started back towards my apartment. Once back to my apartment, I got an odd feeling. Like something shifted in the atmosphere. I know, I know, that's really weird. But, that's what it felt like. I shook my head and unlocked my apartment then walked in, tossing my bag onto the couch. I went to my fridge and scooped out some ice cream then plopped down onto the couch and switched on the TV. After a while though, I grew bored. So, I took a nap. Unfortunately, I had dreams of _them._ But, that boy was in them to. The same one from my dream earlier. What was so special about this guy? Why were the Furies looking for him? I wished he'd just go away. Of course, I wish for a lot of things.

**A/N: So there ya go! Please review! I want to know what you guys think so far. Oh, and I underlined one part of the chapter because those are song lyrics. That way you guys can tell them apart…..even though you probably could in the first place….Whatever, I think it makes it easier. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Anime Naruto or the song by Foo Fighters. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Heeyy! What's up? So this is chapter two of A Daemon's Sacrificum! Obviously. Annnyways, thanks to those who reviewed and to those who didn't, review! It can't be that hard to press a blue button at the bottom of a screen and type a few words, you lazy people :P Please review! (I even said please!)**

**.::**_Chapter2—Broken Bones_**::. **

**.::**_Naruto's POV_**::.**

I hit the ground and rolled a few feet, coming to a rest on my side. I groaned and rolled onto my back. That was _so_ going to bruise. I stared up at the sky; squinting my eyes against the midday sun. There was a loud honk and I turned my head then yelped and leapt to my feet and bolted out of the way as a car raced past. (**A/N: Ok, I don't really know if Naruto would know what a car is, but just pretend.) ** I sighed, relieved, and stood on the sidewalk, looking around. I frowned. I didn't recognize the area at all. Great. Sai's stupid door teleported me. Shops and apartments lined the sides of the street. People filled every spot of sidewalk there was, either walking or standing and starring at something inside a window.

"Apparently, I'm not in Konoha anymore," I muttered and started walking with the crowd. As I walked, I watched the people. A little kid led his Mother towards a toy place, saying something to her over his shoulder. Before I knew it, I was standing by an arched entry way, saying that I had come to Central Park. I shrugged and walked through the entry way and into the park. Might as well learn my way around here. I didn't know a way back to Konoha anyway. The grass was a rich green despite the cold weather. Trees were here and there, their leaves turning to gold's, reds and oranges. It was actually nice. But, was this the world that was destroying mine? I knew just by looking at these people that they weren't the ones to do it. But, where did that guy that I saw come from then? I groaned. Everything was so confusing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a guy watching me. I stopped and looked at him. He looked to be around my age, with black hair and pale skin, wearing black jeans and grey T-shirt with a black hoodie over it. Even from our distance, I could tell how dark his eyes were. Our eyes locked and he seemed to size me up, almost like he was looking at my soul. He narrowed his eyes at me, as if knowing I wasn't from here, then turned, looking startled. He then made an irritated face and started towards something. I gazed in the direction he was heading but saw nothing. I turned and continued down the sidewalk path. Soon, I was far away from any people. I don't even know if I was still in Central Park or just some place that was attached. I sat on a bench and watched the leaves twirl in the breeze. My mind was far off though. Sakura screaming my name as I disappeared still rang in my head. She had sounded scared. They all were probably worried. Knowing Sakura, she was probably cursing my stupidity at walking up to the door in the first place. But, hey, I just did what any normal person would do.

A loud hiss sounded behind me and I turned. A huge, and I mean _huge_, scorpion stood a few feet away. Its claws had to be at least as long as the length of two me's. To add to that, it stood at least ten feet tall. Crap. I cursed and stood, backing away. How the hell was I supposed to fight something like this? It hissed again, scurrying towards me, faster than I expected. Quickly, I drew a kunai and threw it at it. I know, I know, what use is a kunai going to do against a larger-than-life scorpion? Well, I don't really know. But, it struck its eye and blinded it. It screeched and snapped one of its claws at me. I jumped to the side and rolled.

"Shadow-Clone Jutsu!" I said, making the hand sign. A few seconds later fifty-plus clones appeared and swarmed the scorpion. They gathered around its legs, restricting its movement. It hissed and snapped its claws, swinging them back and forth. I dodged its claws and jumped into the air, landing on its head. I grabbed the handle of my kunai and pulled it out of its eye then quickly ran down towards its back. I wobbled as the scorpion thrashed, hissing in pain. Its tail came down towards me. I dived to the side and the tail punctured its back. Obviously, this thing wasn't that smart. I stood and started towards the puncture wound but the scorpion broke free of my clones, which were starting to disappear. It reared, snapping its claws in the air. I yelped as I was thrown off.

I flew through the air and hit the ground with a thud, knocking the breath out of my lungs. I moaned and glared at the scorpion. This was starting to get annoying. The scorpion turned and I rolled to the side to avoid being smashed by its leg. Another leg came down towards me and I rolled to the side again. This went on for a few seconds. Finally, I stood, its leg cutting my shoulder. I crouched and walked beneath it. I held out my hand and focused my chakra. A few seconds later and Rasengan appeared. I looked up at its underside then jumped into the air, holding Rasengan in front of me. It collided with the scorpion quickly followed by something between a gurgle and a screech. Guts splattered everywhere along with this gooey stuff. It crumpled to the ground and curled in on itself like a spider. I crawled out from under and walked a few feet then sat on the ground.

"Finally, I was wondering when you were gonna kill it." I turned towards the voice and saw the kid that was watching me earlier.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, looking at him standing above me.

"Since you started fighting it," He said. I made a face, ignoring the fact that I was covered in scorpion goo.

"And you didn't help me?" I exclaimed, not that I needed it. He shrugged.

"You didn't look like you needed it." I frowned and started wiping the goo off. The kid was silent for a while the he said: "You're not from here, are you?"

"Not really, no."

"Then how'd you get here?"

"A door," I said, looking at him, "It transported me here." The kid raised an eyebrow like he didn't believe me.

"It's true," I insisted.

"Yeah, whatever you ever," He replied, "But, I've never heard of anything like that." I got most of the goo off of myself and looked at the kid closer. I noticed he had a skull ring on his finger and held a pocket knife in his hand. I wouldn't really care about that, if it hadn't changed into a sword. The blade was black with a silver hilt.

"Why do you have a sword?" I asked, slowly. This could be one of the guys who appeared in Konoha. The kid looked at his sword then back at me, a weird look in his eyes.

"It's Stygian Iron," He said slowly.

"It's _what_?" I asked. I had never heard of that before. Then again, I'd never heard of giant scorpions either.

"Stygian Iron," he repeated, sighing exasperatedly.

"Never heard of it," I said, standing and putting my kunai back in my pouch.

"Obviously." I frowned at him. He started walking off, the sword disappearing into his pocket. What is up with this place? First giant scorpions now disappearing weapons.

"Wait!" I called, standing and heading towards him.

"You can't come with me," He said, stopping in the shadow of a tree.

"I wasn't going to," I said, "Where did you go earlier?"

"I was talking care of something." Before I could say anything else he disappeared. I stood there, starring at where he had been. I'll admit that was pretty cool, but also weird. I shook my head and looked around. The scorpion had turned into gold dust. Wait. Gold dust….I ran over and crouched next to it. I ran my hand through the dust. So, the monsters turned into dust once you killed them. There had been some sort of monster in Konoha and some kid like the one I saw in the forest during our search killed it. Who were these guys? I stood and started out of the park. The sun was setting and I still didn't have a place to stay. By the time I exited the park, night had fallen. So, I just walked around. People were still wondering the streets. I saw a hotel and headed towards it. I didn't have any money but I could sleep in the lobby. I opened the door and strode in. The carpet was red with a gold design woven into it. Two couches', some chairs and a coffee table were to my right. The front desk was to my left. Across the room was a hallway with elevators and two other hallways branching to the left and right. The lady at the front desk smiled at me but said nothing. I went over to one of the couches and sat down. Suddenly tired, I closed my eyes. Within seconds I was asleep.

* * *

><p>When I woke up in the morning I was lying on my back with a blanket covering my body. I looked at it curiously. I didn't remember grabbing a blanket. Actually, I was positive I didn't. I sat up on the couch and looked around. A few people wondered the lobby. Some with swimsuits heading to the indoor pool, where ever that was. Why you would swim when winter was coming I don't know. The lady at the desk saw me and hurried over. She was wearing one of those suits for woman. Her blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail. I watched her approach, suddenly getting a weird feeling.<p>

"You looked cold so I got a blanket," She told me, standing by the couch I was on, "Can I get anything for you?" I opened my mouth to say something but my stomach growled before anything came out. The lady smiled at me.

"Follow me, I'll show you where the food is." With that, she started down the hall way with the elevators. I followed uncertainly. Sure, I was hungry but this lady just seemed weird. At the end of the hall, it branched to the left and right. She turned left and continued walking.

"What's your name?" She asked, glancing at me over her shoulder.

"Uh…Naruto," I said slowly, already smelling food. We came to a room that had long, rectangular tables covered with various foods to our left and small round tables for sitting to our right. TV's were mounted at the corners, showing the news. A few people sat at the tables, eating food or sipping coffee. I walked into the room, heading towards the food. Then I smelled something weird. No, it wasn't any of the food (which looked awesome, by the way). It was a gross smell, I couldn't tell what though. Then the people in the room started gasping and freaking out. A few even hid under the tables, like that would help. I turned and saw the lady that led me here.

Except, she had turned into…something. She had claws instead of nails and her teeth were sharpened. Acid dripped from her fangs, sizzling as it hit the carpet. I moaned. You have _got_ to be kidding me. Why do these things keep popping up? I started to move my arm to grab my kunai but my shoulder wound protested. I grimaced in pain and used my other hand to grab the kunai. The lady/acid-thing hissed and charged me. I ran around it and down the hall, hoping it would follow me and ignore the rest of the people. I ducked as acid flew over my head. Guess she had decided to follow. I reached the lobby, the lady/acid-thing growling behind me. I turned and faced the acid thing, taking a handful of shruikan and throwing them. The thing dodged most of them except for one, which cut its arm.

"Come now Naruto," It hissed, "We just want to talk." Yeah right. I started to do the hand sign for Shadow Clones but acid hit my arm from behind. I gritted my teeth and looked over my shoulder. Another acid thing had appeared and was running towards me. The first one had climbed up on a ledge I hadn't noticed before. It jumped off, flying towards me, shooting acid out of its mouth. Before I could do anything, I felt something grab the collar of my jacket and yank backwards. I hit the ground a few feet away and looked up to see a girl. She held two blades connected by a black chain. The blades were gold with an obsidian streak down the middle. Her dark hair fell to her shoulders. I watched as she took out one acid thing within a few seconds then something strange happened. It was like time froze, except for the girl and me. The remaining acid-creature was frozen in mid air, the acid just inches from the girls face. The girl slashed the creature and time went back to normal as it turned to dust. The two blades disappeared into a bracelet on her wrist. The girl turned to me, her green eyes flashing.

"What do they want with you?" She demanded.

**.::**_Kacia's POV_**::.**

Sirens started wailing before the boy could answer my question. I growled low in my throat and looked at the same boy in my dreams. Everything about him was exactly the same. The messy blonde hair. The bright blue eyes. The weird marks on his cheeks. Even the freaking orange suit thing! The boy looked out the doors then back at me. I strode over and grabbed his arm and pulled him up and started leading him roughly towards the door.

"Hey, I can walk myself you know," He said but didn't resist.

"Just follow me," I said and pushed open the doors and walked hurriedly down the street. The cop sirens were for me. I had fought a different monster before coming here and some mortal (thanks to the stupid mist) had called the cops because she thought I was beating up some kid. Of course, since I didn't have the cleanest record, they would probably put me in Juvi for who knows how long. If the caught me, which wasn't gonna happen. (**A/N: Juvi is short for Juvenile, as in Juvenile prison). **I turned down a street and went down an alley, the boy stumbling behind me. We reached a large air shaft maybe eight feet above the ground. I reached into my pocket and took out a pocket knife. The boy eyed it strangely. I shot him a look then snapped the knife open and placed it to the screws holding the shaft to the wall. I loosened the screws then pulled the shaft loose. It came loose and I set it aside.

"Go inside," I told the boy. He gave me a questioning look and I nudged him towards it. He pulled himself up and into the shaft. I did the same, then reached down and grabbed the shaft and screwed it back to the wall.

"Where are we going exactly?" The boy asked.

"Somewhere so we can talk without being bothered," I told him, following him into the vent. We crawled through the vent for a while. Soon, a small beam of light appeared ahead.  
>"Stop at the light ahead," I told the boy. He did so and looked down through the barred gap. Inside, was a room with concrete walls. There were a few sleeping bags and bathroom. Also a few chips and other food that didn't need to cook.<p>

"I'm guessing that's where we're going," The boy said.

"Yeah," I said. With that, the boy banged in the bars a few times and soon the shaft dropped to the floor, clattering loudly. He dropped down and landed lightly. I followed and landed next to him. Two fluorescent lights blinked on the ceiling.

"What is this place?" The boy asked.

"Just a hang out place," I told him, "No one ever comes here and it's safe enough. But—" Before I could finish my sentence a guy walked out of the bathroom. I recognized him immediately. I waved and he nodded back then looked at the boy, surprise on his face. The boy reacted the same, except a little more dramatically.

"Hey! You're that guy from yesterday!" The boy said, loudly. The guy, who was my friend, Nico, nodded slowly. I know I had gone into my life story and said that I didn't really trust anyone. Well, that isn't totally true. I trust Nico. I won't go into yet another sob story, but let's just say, we've been through a lot.

"Yeah…." He said, then turned to me, "What's he doing here?"

"It's a long story," I said, then turned to the boy, "That's Nico, he's a friend." Nico walked over, grabbing a back of chips.  
>"So, who are you exactly?" Nico asked, looking at the boy.<p>

"Naruto…." He said, then he turned to me, "What's your name? I never got it."

"Kacia, " I told him, "Now like I said earlier, why do those monsters want you?" Naruto shrugged.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"He's not from here," Nico informed me, "He got here by a door." He cast Naruto a disbelieving look.  
>"Well it's true!" Naruto insisted, walking over and also grabbing a bag of chips. I frowned.<br>"Could you elaborate?" I asked. Naruto made a face.

"It's a really long story," He said.

"We're not going anywhere," Nico said, sitting on a sleeping bag. I sat next to him and looked at Naruto expectantly. Said boy sighed and dragged a sleeping bag over and sat across from us.

"First," He said, his voice hinting at something I couldn't quite place, "Who _are_ you people?" Nico smirked and I snorted.

"What do you mean?" I asked, "I could ask the same thing of you." Naruto gave me a look.

"Yeah well, _I_ don't have weird disappearing weapons, or disappear randomly _or_ stop time." I should have known that would've come up eventually. Nico raised an eyebrow.

"True, but I don't summon weird swirling ball things or make clones of myself," Nico countered. I was worried they might not get along. But, it's better than them actually trying to kill each other.

"Hold it," I interrupted, "What's this about swirling ball things?"

"He used it to kill a scorpion," Nico explained, "It just appeared in his hand. It did a good job of killing the scorpion though." Naruto held out his hand and sure enough, a swirling ball appeared in his hand.

"You mean this?" Naruto asked, looking at Nico. Death Boy nodded.

"Yeah, that."

"What is that?" I asked, leaning forward. This boy just got more and more interesting.

"It's….." Naruto started then frowned, "It's…ah…uh…well, it's hard to explain. But, basically, it's chakra." Both me and Nico made a face.

"It's what?" We said in unison. Naruto sighed.

"Chakra, it's like Chi, sorta." The swirling ball of chakra disappeared and Naruto put his hand down.

"But, you guys haven't explained who you are," He said. I sighed.

"You explain it Nico," I said, looking at the boy.

"You dragged him here, he's your responsibility," Nico said, munching on a chip. I glared at him then frowned. How do you explain Demi-Titans and Demi-gods to a person who's probably never even heard of the gods and titans?

"So, have you heard of the gods and titans?" I asked, not seeing the point in this. Naruto made a face.

"No." I groaned and hung my head, my dark hair falling in front of my face.

"Well, basically, there very powerful beings that watch over Earth," I said, "and have children with mortals. These children are called Demi-gods, or half-bloods and basically there supposed to protect the mortals from monsters. Like the ones who attacked you in the hotel." Naruto thought for a second then nodded slowly.

"Ok….and I'm guessing your half-bloods?" Nico and I nodded.

"Yup," Nico said and then looked at me, "You forgot to say who the gods are."

"I was getting there," I snapped then turned to Naruto, "There are twelve gods. Zeus is the leader and the god of the Sky. He has two brothers, Poseidon, the god of the Sea, and Hades, the god of the Dead. The three of them are usually known as the Big Three, since there the most powerful of all the gods." Naruto nodded.

"Then there's Apollo, the god of the Sun and his sister, Artemis, the goddess of the Moon," I continued, "Ares, the god of war, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, Hermes, who is the messenger god and the god of thieves. Athena the goddess of wisdom and Hephaestus the god of fire and metalworking. There are a lot of others but it would take to long." Naruto looked from Nico to me and then back again.

"So….who are your parents?" He asked.

"My Father's Hades," Nico said like it was the most normal thing in the world. Naruto looked at him, slightly surprised.

"Your fathers the god of the Dead?" He asked.

"Yup." Naruto looked at me.

"What about you?" I looked at him and sighed. I never liked explaining who my Father was. Mostly because people didn't like it very much. That's probably why me and Nico get along so well. We were both rejected because of our heritage.

"Kacia?" Nico asked, looking at me, concern in his dark eyes. Naruto was watching me curiously. But I also noticed that he knew I didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm fine," I said, to Nico unasked question then looked at Naruto, "My Father isn't one of the gods." He tilted his head sideways.

"Then…are you not a half-blood?" He asked.

"Well, I'm a Demi-Titan," I said slowly, "My Fathers the leader of the Titans. A group of very powerful beings; like the gods. But, gods and Titans were rivals." Naruto nodded, seeming to accept it.

"So, who was the leader of the Titans?" He finally asked, when I didn't elaborate.

"Kronos," I said, "He's the Lord of Time." Naruto's face lit up.

"Oh! So that's why time stopped back at the hotel!" I nodded.

"Ok," Nico said, "We've explained ourselves. Now who are _you_?" I leaned back on my arms and watched Naruto. I noticed he had something like a headband around his head with a weird symbol on it. It resembled a leaf, in a way. I don't know why I hadn't noticed it before.

"What's the symbol on your headband mean?" I asked.

"It's the symbol of my Village," Naruto said, fingering the symbol.

"And this Village is your home?" Nico asked as he crumpled up the chip bag and tossed it into a trash can. Naruto nodded, bringing one knee up and resting his chin on it.

"Ok, so does your Village have a name?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Konoha," Naruto replied, "Or the Leaf Village, whichever one."

"Is that what the symbol is, a leaf?" Nico asked, "It sorta looks like one."

"Yup."

"Alright so, how did you get here?" I asked, "How did you find this door." Naruto sighed and munched on his chips before answering.

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain," He said, "But, we've been having weird…uh, "occurrences" I guess. Anyway, me and the rest of my team went to the main place of the occurrences and found a door, which teleported me here." I starred at the boy. That was almost like my dream.

"Was the place where the occurrences were happening kinda messed up? Like, fallen trees and blood?" I asked, wishing it wasn't true. Naruto and Nico both gave me surprised looks. Death Boy looked like he had an idea of how I knew, Naruto though, didn't.

"Yeah! How'd you know?" Blondie asked, leaning towards me.

"Did you have a dream?" Nico asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, I did…" Naruto scrunched up his face.

"Wait, a dream? You guys have weird dreams?"

"All Half-Bloods have weird dreams that somehow predict the future," Nico explained, "It's annoying to."

"You got that right," I muttered, "But yes, I did have a dream Naruto. It had you in it, which is why I dragged you here."

"What'd you dream?" Naruto asked. I cast my mind back to my dream and told them everything. At some places Naruto's features darkened. When I was finished silence enveloped us.

"So….what was the orange stuff?" Nico finally asked. I looked at Naruto. He was looking at the ground, his hair partially covering his face.

"Naruto?" I asked slowly.

"The orange stuff is chakra," He said, his blue eyes lifting to look at Nico, "But not mine. It's a Demons chakra." I narrowed my eyes.

"Demon? What do you mean?" I asked. Naruto sighed. He obviously didn't like this story.

"In my world," He said, "We have Demons. Their power ranges from one to nine. Nine being the strongest. So, that orange chakra you saw was a Demons chakra. The Demon is known as the Nine-Tailed Fox." I raised my eyebrows. Was he saying that inside of him was the strongest Demon his world possessed?

"So, wait," Nico said, "Your saying, that inside of you is the most powerful Demon your world has?" Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying."

"Can you control it?"

"Kinda. It really only takes over whenever I'm really mad." I rubbed my temples with my fingers.

"So, how did the Demon get inside of you?" I asked.

"The Fox attacked my Village when I was a baby," Naruto explained, "So, the Hokage, my Father, took the Fox's chakra and sealed it inside of me that way the Village wouldn't be destroyed." Once again, I starred at Naruto in shock. Why would your Father do that? I mean, seriously, to put a freaking demon in your own child. Wow. Nico seemed surprised to.

"So, you've had that thing inside of you all your life?" Nico asked. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah," Naruto said, stretching his arms above his head. I leaned over to Nico and looked at his watch. It was almost midnight. Whoa, I wasn't even tired. Both boys seemed tired though.

"Alright, since you two look tired let's go to bed," I said, looking from Nico to Naruto. Neither protested. Naruto moved onto his back and stared up at the concrete ceiling. I stood and walked over to the wall and flipped out the lights then wondered to my sleeping bag. As I lied down, I remembered that I had forgotten to ask Naruto what those strange occurrences were. Oh well, I'd just ask tomorrow. After a few minutes, I began humming a song. Then gradually started singing quietly. It was a habit I had.

"Walking a fine line between wrong and right. And I know there is a part of me that I try to hide. But I can't win and I can't fight. I keep holding on to tight, running away from the world outside. Now I am calling, hoping you'll hear me. We all need somebody to believe in something. And I won't fear this when I am falling. We all need somebody that can mend**…...**these broken bones. Caught in the confines of a simple life and I am holding my head high in the rising tide. And I can't win and I can't fight, I keep holding on to tight. Running away from the world outside. Now I am calling hoping you'll hear me. We all need somebody to believe in something. And I won't fear this when I am falling. We all need somebody that can mend these broken bones. I'm not coming home now, I know. I'm so far away, so far from home. I'm not coming home now, I know. I'm so far away, I'm so far away**…..**"

I quite singing and closed my eyes. I felt Naruto's eyes on me. I still didn't know what to think of him. He seemed nice enough. But, I've thought that before and been wrong. So, I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So there ya go! Chapter 2! So, I will try to update this story has fast as I can. But, I have 2 other stories going and there my main priority. But, one of them is almost finished, so yeah….Anyways, please review! I really wanna know what you guys think Oh and if you guys haven't figured it out yet, the title of the chapter is the same as the song. (So, this song is called Broken Bones by Rev Theory)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Naruto or the book series Percy Jackson or the song by Rev Theory. I only own my characters and the plot. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! So, I noticed that on my last author's note, I called the story A Daemon's Sacrificum (which, if you don't know, is Latin for A Demon's Sacrifice). Sorry about that. I was originally going to name the story in Latin but decided against it. Oh, and I also noticed on the last chapter, when Naruto was talking to Nico after the scorpion fight, I had a typing error. When Nico said, "Yeah whatever, you ever," It was supposed to be, "Yeah whatever." I really don't know how that happened, it was like I was thinking on thing and typing another *sweat drop*. Annnyways, sorry about all that! Now, on to the reviewers! **

**To Bob: First, awesome name XD I'm happy you think my stories awesome! And the pairings are Naruto/OC **

**To Cool Story Bro: Thanks! Yeah, I find that first person is easier for me to write in And of course! If she trusted him right off that would be weird….**

**To 321: Haha! Thanks! I hope it's exciting for you people of the internet! :D **

**Now, this has to be the longest author's note I've ever written. But, onto the story and review! **

**.::**_Chapter 3-Drown_**::.**

**.::**_Naruto's POV_**::.**

I felt someone shaking my shoulder and groaned. Of course, the shaking persisted, this time harder. Couldn't someone get some sleep without being bothered around here? Finally, the person, whoever it was, grabbed my sleeping bag (which, I wasn't in, I was just laying on top of it) and yanked it out from under me. I thumped against the concrete floor and snapped my eyes open. Nico was crouched a few feet away, the hem of the sleeping bag in his hands. I glared at him.

"What was that for?" I sat up, rubbing the back of my head.

"We gotta go," Nico replied, releasing the sleeping bag, "And you wouldn't wake up." So, that gives you a reason to yank the sleeping bag out from under me? Suure.

"Why?" I asked irritated. Before Nico could answer, Kacia peeked her head through the air shaft we had used yesterday and looked at us.

"Come _on,_" She growled, "I can't hold them off much longer." She disappeared into the air shaft but I could hear her crawling through it towards the exit in the alley.

"Who's them?" I asked, standing and looking at Nico.

"Monsters," He said simply and started towards the air shaft. I followed and we crawled through towards the exit. As we neared it, I could hear the sounds of fighting.

"So, out of all the places to hang out or hide or whatever," I said, "Why choose one where you had to crawl through an air shaft?"

"I dunno," Nico replied, "I didn't find it. Kacia did." Oh. Ok? We reached the end and Nico jumped down into the alley. To our left and by the street, were monsters. There was a Minotaur, something that resembled a bat with a human head but much bigger, and then a really huge dog. But, from all the gold dust, there must have been more. Kacia was attempting for fight then all at once and doing a pretty good job. As I watched, she slashed at the minotaur with her blades then turned towards the huge dog. But, before she could attack, it head butted her and she went flying and skidded on her back. Ok, maybe she wasn't doing to good. Nico's sword appeared and he stood in the way of the huge dog, blocking its path to Kacia. I walked over to Kacia and helped her up. She held her side where the dog had hit her then glowered at me.

"It's about time you guys got here." I opened my mouth to respond but was interrupted by the minotaur bellowing. Extremely loud. I made a hand sign and twenty shadow clones appeared and swarmed the half bull-man thing. Kacia gave me an odd look then grabbed my arm and yanked me to the side. We hit the ground right as the bat-human thing swooped down where we were a few seconds ago.

"Pay attention to what's going on, idiot," Kacia said then stood and went to help Nico with the dog thing. I shot her a look then climbed to my feet and ran towards the minotaur. While my clones distracted it, I jumped onto its arm and climbed up towards its head. It fixed its eyes on me and started waving its arms. I focused my chakra so I wouldn't fly off and hit who knows what. Once I reached its shoulder, I held out my hand and a few seconds later Rasengan appeared. I brought it down on the back of its neck and the thing bellowed then turned to dust. As I fell to the ground, I heard a loud screech and turned to my head to see the bat-human thing diving towards me. Talk about a bad time to be falling. I grunted as one of its feet wrapped around my body and lifting me into the air. I managed to get my arms free and tried to pry its foot off of me. It didn't work.

"Let go of me you freak!" I yelled. It ignored me. Figures. Unfortunately, it didn't pin me to the ground and kill me like I thought it would. It just kept flying. To where I don't know. And don't really care. All I cared about was getting this thing to release me. I looked down and vaguely saw Kacia and Nico riding on one of those huge dogs following us. Wait….riding on the huge dog? What the hell? I shake my head and look up at the bat-human thing. Using my weapons was out of the question, since I couldn't reach with the things foot wrapped around me. So, I guess that leaves Rasengan. I looked down at the city whizzing beneath us. It was a long way down. I could easily get severely injured. Heck, I could freaking _die._ But, it was better than being taken to where ever I was being taken to. Not that I'm suicidal, 'cause I'm not. I looked up at its wings. Maybe I could somehow injure its wing so it couldn't fly. Sure, we'd still plummet but it might be a softer landing. At least, a little. Sadly, I couldn't reach its wings. Not even if I stretched myself. Crap. Oh well, Rasengan it is. I focused my chakra into my hand and the swirling ball of chakra appeared. Bracing myself, I brought it to its leg. The thing screeched _extremely_ loud and opened its talons and I fell through the air.

It just so happened that we were flying over a pond as I dropped. So, I smacked into the water and sank towards the bottom. Have you ever back flopped into a pool? Well, imagine that except ten times worse. I resurfaced and swam towards the shore. I walked a few feet away from the pond then sank to my hands and knees and coughed up water. I groaned as my back ached from hitting the water. I slipped my headband off and shook my head, my hair flinging water. I heard the soft thump of paws on the ground and looked up to see Kacia and Nico approaching still riding on the huge dog. I offered a weak smile then frowned at their alarmed expressions. They pointed towards the sky and I looked up. Diving towards me was the same bat-human thing that had carried me all this way. I cursed.

"Seriously?" I muttered, "Why won't it leave me alone?" I tied my headband back on then stood and turned to face it.

"Die boy!" It screamed as it extended its talons towards my head. I drew a kunai then ducked. As it passed over me, I whirled and slashed its legs. Nico jumped down from the huge dog and slashed at it with his sword. Kacia joined and helped him. I would have to, if that huge dog hadn't seen me and tackled me to the ground. It licked my face and chest, its tail whipping back and forth behind it. I heard a loud screech and assumed that the bat-human thing had been killed. I would have looked but my face was covered in dog drool.

"Get this thing off of me!" I yelled, holding my hands in front of my face. I heard Kacia laugh and I could practically picture Nico smiling like an idiot.  
>"Mrs. O'Leary," Nico laughed, "Down." The dog barked and backed away then sat with a thump. I sat up, wiping my face with my hands.<p>

"I guess she likes you," Kacia said, grinning. I glared and the dog—Mrs. O'Leary—barked again.

"Why is she not attacking us like the other one?" I asked once I had the drool off my face and clothes. Well, most of it off my clothes.

"She belonged to another Half-Blood," Nico explained, "When he died he gave Mrs. O'Leary to my cousin Percy. But, she mostly just stays in the Underworld unless we call her." I frowned. Unless I'm totally wrong, I think it would be hard to hear someone call you when you're in the Underworld.

"How does she hear you?" Nico reached into his pocket then drew out a whistle.

"It's a special whistle made for Hellhounds. They can hear it from the Underworld." I raised an eyebrow. Hellhounds? That's fitting. I looked at Mrs. O'Leary and she wagged her tail at me. I scowled at her but she just kept wagging her tail.

"Well, let's go," Kacia said as she climbed onto Mrs. O'Leary's back. Nico followed then looked at me expectantly.

"You coming?" I sighed but stood and climbed up behind him.

"Where are we going?" I asked, wondering if I should be worried.

"Camp Half-Blood," Kacia replied then looked at Nico behind her shoulder, "Do your thing." Said boy looked at Mrs. O'Leary and told her to go to Camp Half-Blood. She turned and bounded towards a tree. I almost yelled at her to stop but then we disappeared before I could say anything.

A few minutes later and we all hit the ground. What is it with falling today? Honestly. I groaned and realized that I was on a hill. That had a tree with a golden fur thing hanging on one of the branches with a small dragon coiled around the trunk. What the…?

"Hey! Naruto! Hurry it up!" I looked towards Kacia's voice and saw her waving at me at the base of the hill, Nico beside her laughing at Mrs. O'Leary licking some guy. I stood and walked down the hill as the Hellhound got off of the guy. I stared at him. It was the same guy I ran into during our search. He looked like I remembered. Black hair, sea green eyes. He seemed to recognize me to. He stood and studied me. Nico looked from me to him then back again.

"Uh…you guys know each other or something?"

"Your that guy!" I said, pointing at him. So this is the place that those guys are coming from.

"What are you talking about?" Kacia asked her eyes narrowed. Me and the guy started talking at the same time.

"Guys!" Kacia said, "We can't understand a word your saying!" We both fell silent.

"Thank you," Kacia muttered.

"Ok, so, go on," Nico said then added quickly, "One at a time." I sighed and pointed at the guy again.

"He was in our forest," I said, "In Konoha." Both Nico and Kacia gave me a weird look.

"It's true," I insisted, "Ask him." Nico looked at him for an answer. The guy nodded.

"I was there," He said, "I don't know how I got there though." He looked at me, his green eyes confused. "But, what did you mean 'all the damage you've done?'" All the damage in Konoha flashed in my mind and renewed anger filled me.

"If you hung around longer you would have seen it," I said, anger tainting my voice, "You guys have been appearing and destroying everything."

"How do you know we did it?" The guy asked.

"Because there were signs! Gold dust, blood—there was even a foot print that looked like a Minotaur!" I replied.

"That doesn't mean we did it," the guy shot back. "There are plenty of Half-Bloods. Camp Half-Blood doesn't have all of them."

"Alright, hold up," Kacia said, "So, Naruto, your saying that those strange occurrences you mentioned yesterday were Half-Bloods?" I nodded, looking at the guy briefly. Nico groaned.

"Percy has anything weird happened here lately?" Nico asked, looking at the guy. Wait. So, this was Nico's cousin? They didn't really look alike. Aside from the hair. Percy thought a minute then looked back at me. His eyes roamed my body as if looking for something. His eyes stopped at my weapon pouch at my waist.

"What's in there?"

"Weapons, why?"

"Can I see them?" I shrugged and took out a kunai and shruikan, since that's mostly what I had inside. I showed them to Percy and he seemed to recognize them.

"Have you seen them before?" Nico asked. Percy nodded and I raised my eyebrows. Where ninja's appearing here to?

"Have people been appearing here?" I asked, "Almost like mirages?" Percy nodded.

"Yeah, I've never seen them. But, others have."

"Did they attack?" I asked slowly.

"A few, but not all. But, let's talk to Chiron, maybe he can figure it out." Even though I didn't know who this Chiron was, I followed them. If it meant figuring out what's happening to Konoha and possibly the other villages. As we walked, I looked around the place. To my left were cabins aligned in a U shape. They were all decorated differently and had symbols on the front doors. There was also something that looked like rock climbing but with lava, which I thought was kinda weird. I mean, why climb something that has lava shooting out of it? A little ways from the lava-rock climbing thing was a huge circular building. I couldn't tell what it was for but it was big. Also, off in the distance, was a beach with an ocean. The building we were heading to was blue (why would you paint a building blue?) with a wraparound porch. (**A/N: Ok, I don't know if I covered everything at Camp Half-Blood, so if I missed anything, just pretend). ** On the porch, sitting at a table, was an old man in a wheel chair and another guy wearing a Hawaiian T-shirt and shorts. They were playing some card game. Percy led the way up the steps and towards the two guys. The old man looked up and smiled warmly at us. I'm gonna assume that this is Chiron.

"Ah, Percy," He said then he noticed Nico and Kacia, "Glad to see you decided to stop by Nico. And Kacia, I haven't seen you in a long time." Kacia dipped her head but said nothing. Nico just nodded.

"And who's your friend?" The old man asked, eyes resting on me.

"This is…." Percy started then trailed off.

"I'm Naruto," I said for him, "Nice to meet ya." I smiled at him.

"Great, another brat to add to the rest of them," The other guy muttered irritated. I looked at him. What was his problem? Nico apparently noticed and smirked.  
>"That's Mr. D," He said, leaning closer to me so no one else would hear, "He was assigned to basically man the place and he hates it. He also never remembers any body's name." I snorted at the last part.<p>

"Ah, well Naruto," He old man said, "Have you been claimed yet?"

"Have I what?" I asked, starring at him blankly. Mr. D snorted but said nothing. I scowled at him then turned back to the old man.

"Claiming is when your godly parent basically announces that you're his/her kid by a glowing symbol above your head," Kacia explained. I smirked.

"Uh...Naruto isn't from here, Chiron," Percy said, "He's like the people who are appearing randomly." Chiron nodded, his eyes darkening somewhat.

"Well, let's go inside where we can talk more comfortably," He said, and led the way inside. We entered into a big room with two couches, a coffee table and a fireplace. The floor was wooden with a rectangular rug. To our left was a hallway leading to another room. From what I could see, there was a ping-pong table with chairs going around it. (**A/N: Alright, I can't for the life of me remember whether the Rec Room was inside the Blue house or what, so don't hate on me if that's wrong.) ** We all sat on the couches while Chiron sat in his wheel chair.

"So, Naruto," He said, "How did you get here exactly?" I scratched the back of my head shyly.

"Hehe, that's a long story….," I said. But, I explained everything to him. Kacia also told about her dream about me and how she found me etc. Once everyone was finished, Chiron was silent for a few minutes.

"I see," He said slowly, "This is as much of a mystery to me as it is to you."

"Has Rachel had any prophecies?" Nico asked. Chiron shook his head.

"Who's Rachel?" I asked.

"She's our Oracle," Nico explained, "After the last one….well; we'll just say she died." I frowned. That didn't sound good.

"And a Oracle is like someone who sees stuff, right?" I asked.

"More or less." I looked at Chiron. He seemed tired and weighed down. I kinda felt sorry for him.

"So, you don't know anything about why we're appearing here and you guys are appearing where I'm from?" I asked, wishing someone knew _something_. He shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. There's no record of this ever happening." I sighed.

"Kacia, why don't you show Naruto around?" Chiron asked, looking at her. Said girl sighed dramatically.

"Fine," she mumbled and stood, walking towards the door, "Come on Blondie." Blondie? Really?

"I have a name you know," I said, following her out the door.

"Hey, I call Nico Death Boy," She replied once we were out of the house, "Your Blondie or Idiot, whichever I feel like." I rolled my eyes but followed her around the Camp. She lead me to the lava rock climbing and the circular building.

"That's the Arena we use to practice fencing," She said, pointing, "And that's the Lava Rock. Pretty self explanatory."

"Isn't it dangerous?" I asked, watching some kid barley dodge a shot of lava. Kacia smirked at me.

"That's the point." She continued the tour, showing me which cabin belonged to which god/goddess, the Pavilion where they ate, the archery area, basketball court and volleyball court. She led me towards the stables, which was pretty big. Guess they had a lot of horses. Now, I was expecting normal horses. But I guess when I met Kacia and Nico "normal" disappeared. So, when I walked in and saw that the horses had wings (like that story about Pegasus), I was surprised. The horses were in stalls, but they were larger to account for their wings. Kacia grabbed a sugar cub from one of the bags hanging on the wall then approached a stall. The horse peeked its head out and sniffed at her hand, ears perked.

"This is BlackJack," Kacia said, "He's Percy's horse. Oh, and children of Poseidon can speak to horses, and the horses can speak to them."

"Seriously?" I asked, almost laughing at how much the horse wanted to sugar cube (which Kacia was taunting him with). She nodded and laughed when BlackJack whinnied and stamped his foot. Or hoof, whatever. She gave him the sugar cube then started out of the stable.

"See ya BlackJack," She said, then shut the stable door behind me.

Next Kacia headed towards the forest. I really didn't see what was so interesting about the forest. But then, a human looking girl _stepped out of the tree_ and waved. And she was freaking green. I gaped and pointed a finger. I would have said something but that was just weird. The tree girl giggled then ran off.

"That's a tree nymph," Kacia said, "Every tree has human form. There are also monsters in these woods, so don't wonder off. I don't want to have to save your ass." I made a face.

"Oh really? I think _I_ would be saving _your_ ass." She raised her eyebrows and turned to face me, her arms crossed.

"I don't think so. Unless you don't remember, I saved you from those acid creatures back in the Hotel _and_ from getting tackled by the Fury. Of course then you had to go and get taken by it a few seconds later."

"Hey! It's kinda hard to dodge something that can fly when you're falling!"

"You're a freaking ninja! Ninjas are supposed to be able to do stuff like that!" I'm sure if Nico saw us arguing like this he would have laughed. I crossed my arms at my chest.

"I don't know how to do that poofy thing! My Sensei never taught it to me!" Kacia rolled her eyes.

"Suuuure.

"Its true!"

"Right. You're just making excuses so you don't damage your male pride." My male pride? Really? I made a face.

"No, I'm not. It really is true." Kacia snorted but said nothing, just started walking. I followed, looking around for anymore tree people or monsters. After a few minutes, I thought I saw something flash by. I looked around then started to sense a familiar chakra. It was faint, but I would never forget that chakra. I ran towards the chakra, knowing Kacia would follow.

"Hey! Where are you going!" Kacia yelled, her feet thudding on the ground.

"I saw something!" I called over my shoulder.

"Its probably just another tree nymph!" Kacia said, exasperatedly. I knew it wasn't though. I saw him a way ahead, jumping through the trees. I jumped onto a tree branch and followed.

"Sasuke!" I yelled, hoping he'd stop. If he heard, he ignored me. Which was pretty likely. So, I followed until he stopped in a clearing with a huge rock shaped like a fist. I jumped down and landed a few feet away from him. His form shimmered somewhat, so he wasn't actually _here_ like I was. Well, not permanently anyway. He looked exactly the same as last time I saw him, his katana hanging at his waist.

"How'd you get here?" I asked. Kacia burst through the trees and stopped beside me. When she saw Sasuke her eyes widened. She probably recognized him from her dream, even though he was older. He turned to face us, his face expressionless. His eyes lingered on Kacia though.

"That's….that's that boy in my dream," Kacia said slowly, "The one that saved you." If Sasuke reacted to what she said, he didn't show it.

"Yeah," I said quietly, "It is." I didn't know if that boy still existed though. He had changed so much. I wasn't going to give up on him though.

"Do you know how you got here?" I repeated. He shook his head slightly.

"Where am I?" He asked, his eyes flicking to Kacia.

"Camp Half-Blood," She answered, "It's a place where the children of the gods and goddesses can train and learn how to protect themselves." When he didn't respond, I decided to add to her answer.

"Half-Bloods are part god part mortal," I explained, "They have special abilities and kill monsters like Minotaur's, Hellhounds and—" Before I could finish, Sasuke's form flickered. I leapt forward, going to grab his arm, but he disappeared before I could reach him. I stared at the place he had been. For the first time, I wondered if I would see him again—or anyone at Konoha. That made me think of Sakura and how she had sounded when I disappeared. She was probably worried. I sighed and turned away and faced Kacia. For a moment, I thought I saw sympathy in her eyes, but it was gone just as quick as it was there.

"Come on," She said, her voice emotionless, "We should head back." With that, she started back towards the Cabins. I followed her, wondering if I had imagined her sympathy or not. Once at the Cabins, the dinner bell rang. At least, I'm assuming it's the dinner bell, since everyone started heading towards the pavilion where they eat. So, we headed towards the building. Inside, all the cabins had specific tables. There was also a fire place to make offerings, probably to their parents. I sat with Kacia and watched and she said the food she wanted and it appeared in front of her. Ok, now _that_ was awesome. She did the same with her drink. Grinning, I thought for a second, then said the first thing that came to my mind. Yup, ramen. Hey! I hadn't had it in a long time! Plus, I was freaking starving. As I started eating, Chiron approached us. I looked up at him then went back to my food. I froze in mid chew because I realized something. Chiron wasn't an old man in a wheel chair anymore. He was freaking centaur. He noticed me starring and chuckled.

"Yes, it surprises must new comers."

"So, what's up?" Kacia asked around her pancakes. Yes, pancakes. But hey, why not?

"I would like Naruto to stay with you while he's here," Chiron said slowly. Kacia coughed on her drink and put a hand over her mouth so it wouldn't spew all of over me. (Personally, I don't think she would care either way).

"_Why?"_ Kacia protested, "Can't he stay with the Hermes cabin?"

"The Hermes cabin is full," Chiron replied, looking like he expected this response.

"What about Nico? Or Percy?" Chiron shook his head and offered no other response to that one.

"Just let him stay with you," He said, "I'm sure it's not as dreadful as you think it will be." With that, he walked off, his hooves clicking softly on the floor. Kacia muttered something under her breath and glared at his retreating figure. What so bad about letting me stay with her? Sure, she wasn't my _favorite_ person in the world, but I didn't care. For the rest of dinner, Kacia brought her irritation out on her food. Stabbing it harshly with her fork then thrusting it into her mouth.

"Don't kill it," I mumbled around my noodles. She glared at me—this glare might even match Sasuke's, maybe even better—and I shut up. After dinner, she led me to her Cabin. The wood was solid black with intricate designs (which were colored red and gold) woven into it. On the door was a heart with a skull in the middle. The heart was painted blood red with the paint dripping towards the ground like blood. She opened the door and walked inside. Bunks lined three of the walls while a bathroom and dresser on the other. She went to the dresser and grabbed a camouflage green T-shirt and black shorts then went to the bathroom. Guess she was still angry. I shrugged and went to one of the beds and climbed onto the top one then lied down. A few seconds later and Kacia returned, going to her bed (not the one I was on). After a while of awkward silence, she started to sing. I like her voice, but I didn't tell her, I figured she would get mad.

"Good morning day, sorry I'm not there. But, all my favorite friends, vanished in the air. It's hard to fly, when you can't even run. Once I had the world, but now I've got no one. If I needed someone to control me, if I needed someone to hold me down, I would change my direction. And save myself before I. if I needed someone to control me, if I needed someone to push me around, I would change my direction. And save myself before I drown! Drown! Good morning day, sorry you're not here. All those times before, were never this unclear. It's hard to walk, when you can't even crawl. Once I had this world but now I've lost it all. If I needed someone to control me, if I needed someone to hold me down, I would change my direction. And save myself before I. If I needed someone to control me, if I needed someone to push me around, I would change my direction. And save myself before I drown! Drown!"

Kacia fell silent and I looked over at her. She was lying on her side with her back to me, her body just a curve in the blankets. I wonder why she liked to sing. I made a mental note to ask her tomorrow. I rolled on my side and closed my eyes and fell asleep.

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><p><strong>AN: And its finished! Yay! XD Sorry for the late update. I really don't have an excuse…..but its here now! :D Again, thanks to those who reviewed, you guys are awesome! *gives cookie* Please review ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Naruto or the book series Percy Jackson, or the song by Three Days Grace, they belong to their rightful owners. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Heeyy guys! Sorry for the late update. Not much to say aside from the fact that I had a really weird dream…about this guy in my Biology class…that I don't know….Anyways! Onto the reviews!**

**Headsupdisplay: Thanks! And I'm actually happy with the reviews since I have seven even though there are only four chapters, but I know what you mean. People are lazy XD**

**Desturion: Thanks I don't really know what to say to 'not bad' but I'm glad you think it's not bad! :DDD**

**Mr Dude: Yes, it shall be very interesting…. *smiles evilly* annnnd that sounded creepy. And I do understand Naruto's love for Ramen, it's really not that hard. It looks really good…..Oh, nice name btw ;) **

**So yeah, that's pretty much it! Please Review! ;D**

**.::**_Chapter 4—Valentine's Day_**::.**

**.::**_Kacia's POV_**::.**

**Again with the dreams. Really? I was floating in the air (yes floating), looking down on a battle, ninjas and Half-Bloods fighting each other. The battle was on an open plain with dead grass and trees scattered here and there. Blood splattered the ground and streams ran red. In the distance was a huge mountain. Actually, no, it was a volcano. It wasn't erupting as of this moment, but it looked like it would soon. Smoke rose from the top, curling and disappearing into the sky. The sky was pitch black, but not from the night. A dark substance blanketed the sky, blocking out the sun and moon. It looked like someone had spilled a bottle of black ink onto the sky. What really caught my attention was the fact that the ninjas, Half-Bloods and the surroundings, kept flickering, like the ninjas do when they cross over to our world for a short amount of time. The only thing that didn't flicker was the volcano. I scanned the battle for anyone I knew, but found none. Either that or I just couldn't see them. Then there was a huge explosion and lava erupted from the volcano. Pieces of molten rock and lava cascaded down onto the battle. A loud clap of thunder sounded and the black substance covering the sky started to dissipate. Then, one by one, the ninjas began to disappear, along with a few trees and rocks. For some odd reason, I felt empty as they disappeared. A single tear slide down my cheek and then everything went black.**

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><p>My eyes shot open and I sat up, chest heaving. Sweat made my shirt stick to my back. I looked down to see that my hands were clutching the hem of my blankets. Now <em>that <em>was a weird dream. I hoped that none of that would happen, but I knew that it would, at some point. What really bothered me though was the fact that I felt so…..empty. I seriously didn't want to find out why. The sound of soft snoring reminded me of the fact that Naruto was in the bunk across from me. Why had Chiron assigned him to me? Honestly, when did I volunteer to babysit the idiot? I sighed and threw the covers off then stood, rubbing my eyes. I went to my dresser and grabbed some jeans and a shirt that had FOD written on it. **(A/N: For those of you who listen to Green Day, you will know what that stands for XD). ** I strode to the bathroom to change, just in the off chance that Blondie decided to wake up. As I changed, a knock sounded on the door.

"Just a sec!" I yelled, not caring if I woke Naruto. I finished then jogged to the door and opened it. Nico stood in the doorway, dressed in an old T-shirt and black jeans.

"Hey," He greeted, "Just thought I'd make sure you knew it was noon." Was it really that late? Geez.

"Uh…no, I didn't," I said, letting him in. He walked in and frowned at Naruto's hand peeking over the edge of his bed.

"He's still asleep?" Nico asked, followed by Naruto making a noise in his sleep. I nodded and grabbed a pillow then climbed onto the Blondie's bed.

"I'll wake him up," I said, smirking. I raised the pillow above my head then brought it down onto Naruto's face. He jolted awake.

"What the he—Oh it's you," He grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Its noon," I replied, tossing the pillow onto the bed it came from and hopping down, landing beside Nico. Naruto sat up, wearing only a black t-shirt and his pants.

"There are other ways to wake people up you know," Naruto continued, glowering at me. I just smiled sweetly. He jumped down from his bed and waved at Nico then continued to the bathroom. After the door shut, Death Boy looked at me.

"Sometimes I wonder how people tolerate you." I laughed and he smiled. A few seconds later and Naruto walked out of the bathroom wearing his jacket then looked at me like something bad was about to happen. I actually wouldn't be surprised, but I doubted it.

"Let's go before lunch ends," Nico said, heading towards the door. Naruto grinned and quickly followed. I trailed behind, shutting the door after me.

In the pavilion Nico went to his table and I went to mine. I sat down, Blondie sitting across from me. I looked at him as he spoke that noodle dish from yesterday. Why'd he choose to sit next to me instead of Nico I'll never know. He caught me staring and raised his eyebrows in question.

"What?" I shook my head and mumbled peanut butter and jelly under my breath. It appeared on a plate and I took it. No matter how many times I've seen food just appear, it never gets old. As I chewed I ordered a Mountain Dew. A glass popped up on the table filled with the green soda. I grinned and chugged it. What? I was thirsty! I barely restrained from spewing it all over my sandwich as Naruto choked and coughed on a noodle. That's what you get for speed eating. I swallowed then started laughing. He glared at me then jumped right back into a coughing fit. It got to the point where I could barely breathe and my stomach hurt. Finally, Naruto quite coughing and I quite laughing.

"It's not funny!" He said, pointing an accusing chopstick at me, "I couldn't freaking breathe!" I raised an eyebrow.

"You think you couldn't breathe? I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt and half the time I was gasping for breath while laughing."

"I don't even think that's possible!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

"Oh it's very possible," I shot back, "I'm living proof!" Blondie growled and mumbled something under his breath then went back to his noodles. I smirked and began eating my sandwich. Soon, Naruto was finished with his noodles and sat watching me eat. The boy ate abnormally fast.

"So, why do you like singing?" He finally asked, propping his chin up on his hands and staring at me with his crystal blue eyes. I lifted my gaze to return his, my green eyes narrowing, searching for any hidden motivations in his eyes. I've found that whenever people as questions about your personal life, there was some motivation behind it. Like say, wanting to hurt or betray you, or some other twisted thing. But, surprisingly, I didn't find any. Nonetheless, I wasn't ready to reveal anything to him.

"Why?" I asked, my voice guarded. Naruto shrugged.

"You just seem different when you sing," He said slowly, "More open." I'll admit, I was shocked that he actually noticed that. Naruto just didn't seem like the type to figure people out like that. He was too happy and carefree. But, what he said was true. Singing reminded me of my Mother. She liked it whenever I sang, of course, I wasn't as good when I was little. But, she didn't seem to care. Anyway, whenever I sang it made me feel close to her again. Like I wasn't stranded out in the world. I realized that Naruto was staring at me with an almost concerned look in his eyes.

"What?" I asked curtly.

"You ok?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah fine, why wouldn't I be?" I asked defensively. Naruto shook his head and nodded towards my half eaten sandwich.

"You done yet?" I nodded and stood, heading towards the door, leaving the plate there. Blondie followed behind me.

Outside we found Nico sitting a little ways off, picking at the grass. We strode over and I nudged him with the tip of my foot.

"Hey." Death Boy tilted his head back, looking up at me.

"Hi," He said, the ends of his mouth curving upwards slightly. I sat on one side of Nico while Naruto took the other, making a triangle.

"So….what'd you wanna do?" Naruto asked, picking at a strand of grass. I thought for a second then slowly smiled.

"We could teach you how to use a sword," I suggested, looking at him. Naruto immediately shook his head.

"Nu-uh. I don't need to anyway." I rolled my eyes.

"Come _on_," I insisted, "What if you lose all your weapons in battle and you have nothing else?" Naruto made a face.

"I don't only fight with weapons," He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was, but I was choosing to ignore that. I groaned exasperatedly.

"You're making this way more difficult than it has to be," I growled then looked at Nico beseechingly, "Help me out here." Death Boy sighed like he didn't want to be dragged into this.

"She's right Naruto," He finally said, "It would be good for you. Besides, a kunai is basically a different type of knife and a knife is pretty much a tiny sword so it can't be that difficult for you." Naruto glared at Nico.

"Whose side are you on?" He exclaimed, flinging shredded blades of grass at him. Nico only smirked.

"I only take sides in battle."

"Cheapskate," Naruto mumbled. I grinned.

"If not for you own good," I said, "Do it for my amusement." Naruto shot me a look.

"You just enjoy my pain," He said.

"Yeah, can't argue with that," I replied, smiling, "Besides, Nico can teach you." Death Boy looked up at me.

"Hey! I never said that!" He protested. My smile broadened.

"So? You can still teach him." It'd be good for them anyway. Bonding time. I stood and started towards the arena where we practiced.

"Come on guys! We don't have all day!" I called over my shoulder. I heard both boys groan but they followed. When we reached the arena, we set out to find a good sword for Naruto. Most were either too big or too small. After maybe ten minutes, we finally found one that worked. I went to the side of the arena so I wasn't in their way then sat down and watched. Nico and Naruto stood facing each other, their swords held loosely in their hands.

"What's there to teach anyway?" Naruto asked, "Don't you just swing it and try to hit your opponent?" Nico snorted.

"If only it were that easy," He said, "But, no, it's more complicated. There are different stances and everything." Naruto frowned at him.

"Am I supposed to learn it all today?"

"No," Nico said, smirking, "We would drive each other insane." With that, Nico began teaching Naruto the basic foot work and how to hold the sword. The do's and don'ts. Once he felt like Naruto had it down, he struck at him with his sword. At first, Blondie didn't do too well. But after a while, he got it down. Well, he didn't get hit as much. Nico struck at Naruto's side and Blondie blocked. It was the same routine for a while, the sound of their swords clashing ringing through the arena. Percy and Annabeth came and sat with me, watching the two boys. Finally, Nico locked their swords together and shoved forward, knocking Naruto to the ground.

"Move your feet more and you'll do better," Nico said, offering his hand. Naruto took it and stood then they began sparring once again. Naruto slashed at Nico's shoulder and Death Boy parried then whirled, his sword hissing towards Blondie's throat. Naruto blocked then danced away, his eyes gleaming. Nico feinted going for Naruto's legs then struck at his ribcage. As the fight progressed, Naruto got better and better. His training from Konoha was starting to take control and he was moving a lot smoother.

"Who is that anyway?" Annabeth whispered to me. It hit me that Annabeth hadn't actually met Naruto.

"That's Naruto," I told her, "He's like the holographic people that are popping up here. Only, he actually transported here by a door. At least, that's what he says." Annabeth raised an eyebrow but nodded, returning her attention to the boys. Naruto and Nico struck at each other repeatedly, their swords however only made contact with each other. Blondie slashed at Nico's throat only to be blocked by Nico then shoved backwards. Naruto took a couple steps back then lunged forward, hacking at Nico with his sword. Nico blocked the moves while moving backwards then ducked and swiped at Blondie's legs. The boy jumped into the air and swung his blade in a downward arc, the sword hissing towards Nico's throat. Death Boy rolled out of the way and onto his feet, grinning. I was beginning to wonder how long they would go on. It was growing late. I stretched my arms above my head and yawned, looking up at the ceiling. Then I felt Percy tapping me, trying to get my attention. I opened my mouth to say something but before I could there was a loud thump.

"Ha!" Naruto exclaimed happily, "I was wondering if you would ever go down." I looked at the boys and realized that Nico was lying on the floor a few feet away from Naruto, who was still standing, sword in hand.

"I think that could be classified as cheating," Nico grunted, standing with a hand on his side. Naruto shook his head, grinning.

"No, you said nothing about using my training."

"Well, I kinda figured it was a given," Nico mumbled.

"That was awesome," Percy said, grinning. I realized that Naruto had probably kicked Nico and he went flying, which is how he ended up on the ground. I have to admit, that was pretty smart, catching Nico off guard like that. Naruto smiled at Percy then he noticed Annabeth.

"Who's your friend?" He asked, setting the sword down and walking over.

"I'm Annabeth," Said girl replied.

"Naruto," Blondie said, smiling. Nico put the swords up and I stood, starting towards the door.

"I'll meet you at my cabin Naruto," I called over my shoulder. I didn't wait for an answer and just jogged to my Cabin. Once there, I changed into my usual camouflage t-shirt and black shorts. I racked a brush through my hair quickly then went to my bunk. I crouched and pulled my piano out from under my bed. (**A/N: Ok, I don't really know how to describe this, but it's one of those piano's where you can remove the legs and use different instruments on it and stuff). ** I sat on my bed and placed the piano on my lap and pressed the power button. I began playing a specific song that I knew by heart.

"My insides all turned to ash, so slow  
><span>And blew away as I collapsed, so cold.<span>  
><span>A black wind took them away from sight<span>  
><span>And held the darkness over day, that night.<span>  
><span>And the clouds above move closer, looking so dissatisfied<span>  
><span>But the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing. <span>

I used to be my own protection  
><span>But not now.<span>  
><span>'Cause my path has lost direction, somehow<span>  
><span>A black wind took you away from sight<span>  
><span>And held the darkness over day, that night.<span>  
><span>And the clouds above move closer,<span>  
><span>Looking so dissatisfied.<span>  
><span>And the ground below grew colder, as they put you down inside.<span>  
><span>But the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing.<span>

So now you're gone  
><span>And I was wrong.<span>  
><span>I never knew what it was like, to be alone<span>  
><span>On a Valentine's Day.<span>  
><span>On a Valentine's Day, on a Valentine's Day<span>  
><span>On a Valentine's Day, on a Valentine's Day, on a Valentine's Day.<span>  
><span>I used to be my own protection, but not now<span>  
><span>On a Valentine's Day<span>  
><span>'Cause my mind has lost direction somehow<span>  
><span>On a Valentine's Day.<span>  
><span>I used to be my own protection, but not now<span>  
><span>On a Valentine's Day<span>  
><span>'Cause my mind has lost direction somehow<span>  
><span>On a Valentine's Day." <span>

I quit playing and rested my hands on the keys. The song reminded me of my Mother's death. You might be wondering why I would play a song that reminded me of that. Well, the day she died is tomorrow. Valentine's Day. It was kinda ironic that my Mother would die on the day you were supposed to celebrate the ones you loved. So, I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. If I "celebrate" anything, it would be the remembrance of my Mother. I switched off the power to the piano and pushed it back under my bed. I felt tears spring to my eyes and sat back down on the bed, my knees drawn up to my chest.

"Pretty song." I glanced up and saw Naruto peering at me from the doorway. I quickly turned away and said nothing. I heard him walk over to me and felt his hand on my shoulder.

"Something wrong?" He asked concern in his voice. I find it weird how I could say whatever I wanted to him, no matter how mean, and he would still ask if I was ok.

"I'm fine," I mumbled and pushed his hand away. I heard him walk away and climb up onto his bed. I sniffed and slid under the covers then buried my face in my pillow. I hated Valentine's Day. Don't get me wrong, I love my Mother, I just hated remembering her death. It's terrible how Kronos could have a child with her and then not even care if she died. Terrible and sick. I wiped my eyes and face then closed my eyes, hoping Naruto wouldn't notice that I was crying. A few seconds later, I slipped into a deep and welcomed sleep.

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><p><strong>AN: So there ya go! Again, thanks to those who reviewed and to those who aren't….please, please, pleeaasse review! ;) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Anime Naruto, or the series Percy Jackson, or the song by Linkin Park. They belong to their owners. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! So, sorry about the late update….yet again, but I had to update another story (you seeing a pattern here yet? *hint hint*). And I had an Algebra Midterm so yeah. I'm back though! To my reviewers! You guys rock!**

**Mr. PeanutButter: Aww! I sorry! Lol You won't have to check any longer :D Nice name btw;)  
>Headsupdisplay: Thanks! And that gives me an idea….<strong>

**Soulofdragon1: Thankies! And it really doesn't have a specific time frame….but it is after Naruto fought Pain and when Sasuke is with Madara. That's the best answer I can think of….hope that helps! :D **

**.::**_Chapter 5-Tourniquet_**::.**

**.::**_Naruto's POV_**::.**

I blinked open my eyes and looked over at where Kacia slept. She was still asleep, surprisingly. She was usually the first one awake. I yawned and sat up, still tired. I moved to the edge of the bed and hopped down, my feet thumping softly on the carpet. I walked to the bathroom and grabbed my forehead protector on the sink and tied on. Then I grabbed my jacket and slipped it on, leaving it unzipped. I strode back into the main room and over to Kacia. I ducked under the top bunk and leaned over her, my hand on her bed to prevent myself from falling on her. Now _that _would wake her up. I poked her cheek with my free hand.

"Kacia?" She moaned but other than that didn't do anything. I frowned and poked her again.

"Hey, Kacia, wake up," I said quietly. I noticed how her pillow had darker spots on it that were damp. Then I remembered how she had been crying last night. I wonder why. I don't think I said anything that would make her cry. Besides, I doubt she would cry over something I said. She would probably just yell at me or something. Maybe it was the song she had been singing. I stepped back and crossed my arms, looking around for something to wake her up with. And yes, a pillow did come to my mind. I went to the bathroom and looked around for something. When I didn't find anything, I strode back into the main room and over to her bed. I ducked under the top bunk and nudged her shoulder.

"Kacia, come on, get up," I said, glancing over at the digital clock she had on the for by her bed. It was almost ten. This time, Kacia pulled the covers over her head and sunk deeper into the bed. I made a face and poked at what I hoped was her side.

"Idiot, go _away_," She growled, her voice muffled. I sat on the edge of the bed and crossed my arms.

"Its ten!" I exclaimed. She shifted under the covers then kicked me with the heel of her foot. Hard. I grunted and hit her leg with my hand.

"Just go away!" She yelled, still under the covers. I mumbled under my breath but stood and walked towards the door.

"Fine, I'll leave," I called over my shoulder, then opened the door and stepped outside, shutting the door behind me. I put my hands behind my head and looked around from the porch. A group of guys and these humans that had goat legs were playing basketball. Wait…_what?_ I looked over again and sure enough some of the humans had goat legs. To add to the weirdness they had horns on their heads. I swear I'll never get used to this. Also, a group of girls wearing tons of makeup were giggling and…..starring at me? What the hell? I raised an eyebrow and looked over at them. They continued giggling and waved at me. Since I really didn't know how to respond, I just smiled then looked around for Nico. I strode down the porch steps and wondered around. I looked in the pavilion and the arena where we sparred. I checked every place I could think of but he wasn't in any of them. Sighing, I headed towards his cabin. Maybe he was still asleep. I walked up to the door and knocked. After a few seconds, there was some shuffling and drawers opening and closing, then he opened the door, rubbing one eye.

"Naruto? What do you want?" He asked, looking behind me, "Where's Kacia?"

"She's hiding under her covers," I told him, "And she is _not_ in a good mood." Nico nodded as if he expected my answer. I made a face.

"Does she do that often or something?" He shrugged.

"Every Valentine's Day she gets…..uh…well, she gets grouchy. So, I would leave her alone, unless you want to get beat up." I raised an eyebrow. Why only on Valentine's Day? Wasn't this day supposed to be happy?

"Why? Did something happen on Valentine's Day?" I asked, sticking my hands in my pockets. Nico scratched the back of his head, looking awkward.

"You could say that…." He said, trailing off. I looked at him.

"So something did happen?" He nodded, leaning against the doorframe. I wonder what could have happened to Kacia to make her act the way she was. Kinda sad that it would happen on Valentine's Day though.

"What happened?" I asked, somewhat hesitantly. Nico only shook his head, not offering an answer. I turned as Chiron announced that it was time to play Capture the Flag. At first I was skeptical but a look at Nico confirmed that Chiron was being serious. I was kinda curious about how half-bloods played Capture the Flag. But I was also wary since everyone headed towards the armory. They wore armor while playing Capture the Flag? Really? It wasn't a dangerous game. Of course, they might have changed the rules. I followed Nico into the armory and watched him began to strap armor on.

"So, how does this work exactly?" I asked. Nico looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you've never played Capture the Flag before." I crossed my arms and glared.  
>"I've played it! I just wanna know how you people play it since everyone's putting armor on," I said defensively. Nico shrugged as he strapped something to his forearms. <strong>(AN: Ok, I totally forgot what those things were called. There like shin guard's but for the forearms.) **

"It's basically the same," He explained, "We're split into teams and we try to capture the other teams flag without losing ours. The only difference is we're allowed to use weapons and our powers." I frowned. It didn't seem hard. But these guys' games were violent. Honestly. Nico finished with his armor and looked at me.  
>"You're not going to wear armor? You might need it," He said.<p>

"Nah," I replied, "It'll just slow me down. What about Kacia though?" Nico made a face.

"You can go get her if you want. But I'd just leave her. She'll come around when she wants to." I shook my head, not really wanting to see her really pissed off.

I followed Nico out into the woods where everyone was gathering around Chiron. He explained the rules and split us up into teams. It was Hades, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Hephaestus and Athena verses all the other Gods/Goddesses. Chiron turned to me.  
>"Naruto, stay with Nico for now." I nodded and trailed behind Nico as he followed the rest of our team. We all formed a semi-circle around Annabeth, who had been appointed leader. The flag had been set as far away from water as possible, since Percy was on the opposite team. Annabeth told Nico and a few others to guard the flag while everyone else was on offense. Everyone went to their positions and Chiron gave the signal for the game to begin. Before I could even decide what to do, someone was attacking me. I jumped back, out of the range of the spear. The girl moved towards me, jabbing at me. I dodged and turned, jumping into a tree, high enough so that she couldn't reach me.<p>

"What? You scared of close combat?" She challenged, looking up at me. I snorted.

"You wish." I took out some shruikan and threw them at her. She dodged some and knocked the others away with her spear. I made a hand sign, forming a T with my fingers.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Fifteen-plus clones appeared. Half swarmed the girl while the rest scattered throughout the forest. She used her spear and a half-blade and slashed the clones. I jumped down and let myself disappear among the clones. Taking out a kunai, I slashed at her every so often, slipping the blade between the gaps in her armor, letting the blade graze her skin, then moving away before she could find me. I jumped away and into a tree as the last clone disappeared. I focused my chakra in my hand and Rasengan appeared. I appeared behind her and she whirled, a shocked look on her face. I brought the swirling ball down to the ground a few inches away, knowing the after blast would send her flying. Plus, I doubt Chiron would be happy if I actually killed her. Just like I thought, she was knocked off her feet and smacked into a tree a little ways off. She moaned and rubbed her head. I smirked, satisfied, and jumped into the trees. I didn't want to stick around long enough for her to recover. I didn't want to see what she could do when she was pissed off.

I paused on a branch and looked down at two of my clones fighting a son of Hermes. A little ways off, Perch and Annabeth were fighting, slashing with their blades and twirling around each other. It was actually fun to watch since they were evenly matched. I was so into it that I didn't notice the knife thump against the trunk of the tree centimeters from my face. I yelped and fell backwards off the branch. I landed in a crouch, looking around for who threw the blade. A guy with brown hair stood a few feet away. He looked to be nineteen or twenty. A small scar was above his left eyebrow. The sword he was holding had a long scratch on it. He smirked at me.

"So you're the ninja from the other world," He said, sizing me up, "You don't look like much." I gripped my kunai in my hand and stood. The strange thing is, I didn't recognize him from any of the other Half-Bloods. I know I haven't been here long, but I think I would have recognized him if I saw him. There was just something off about him.

"We'll see about that," I shot back, charging him. I slashed at him with my kunai and he blocked it with his sword. I kicked at his side and he danced away, keeping his eyes on mine. I ran at him, slashing and kicking. He blocked my blade and evaded my kicks. I locked my kunai to his sword and brought my knee up to his gut. He grunted and to a few steps back. I jumped into the trees and crouched on a branch, hidden by the leaves. He slowly turned in a circle, his eyes scanning the trees looking for me.

"I don't have all day kid," He said impatiently. I suppressed a snort. I'm only a few years younger than you, don't go calling me kid. I made a hand sign and a clone appeared in the branch above me, in plain sight. The clone lunged towards him, drawing its fist back to punch the guy. I moved as quietly as I could through the trees so I was behind the mysterious guy and my clone, but still hidden. The guy side stepped the clone and slashed it across the side. Right as it hit the ground a disappeared, I lunged out of the tree and collided with the guy, punching him across the face. He threw me off and stood, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. I stood and drew my kunai. I slashed at his face and he blocked. It hit me that this guy never really attacked me, he just blocked. He was just playing with me. This guy could not be from Camp Half-Blood. I slashed at him once again. He blocked and I drew my fist back to punch him. He moved my hand that was holding the kunai to the side then stepped forward, slashing my other arm with a knife. I gritted my teeth and went to kick his side. He just danced away. This guy was starting to aggravate me.

"Naruto!" I probably shouldn't have, but I turned towards the voice that called me. I saw Percy jogging towards me. I blinked at him then turned towards the mysterious guy. Only to find that he wasn't there. Confused, I turned in a circle, looking for him. When I still didn't see him, I sighed, irritated. I put my kunai away and looked at the cut on my arm. It spanned the length of my forearm and wasn't too deep, but it bled a lot. The sleeve to my jacket was already soaked.

"You ok?" Percy asked, looking at the cut. I nodded.

"Yeah….Wait, is the game over?" Percy shook his head then made a face.

"No…well….You might want to come and see this." Curious, I followed Percy a little ways off by a stream. A mob of half-bloods had gathered around something and fighting could be heard. I began to sense a certain chakra. Widening my eyes, I shoved through the crowd. In the middle of the circle of people, a girl with curly red hair was fighting Sakura. Or trying to. Sakura kept dodging, but wasn't retaliating. On the other side of Sakura and the girl, Nico stood, wiping blood off his face. His nose and lip were bleeding pretty bad. The girl backed Sakura up to a tree and raised her sword, aiming to either kill her or severely injure. I lunged forward and grabbed the girls wrist then shoved her to the ground. She hit the ground with a thud then glared up at me.

"Move it," She growled, getting to her feet. I returned her glare and stayed put, blocking her path to Sakura.

"Naruto….?" Sakura said, surprised. I glanced at her over my shoulder. Her image flickered briefly.

"Hey, you ok?" I asked. She nodded, quickly putting her arms behind her back. I could tell she was probably hiding some injury, but I didn't pry. I turned back to the girl who had attacked her and opened my mouth to say something but the crowd parted, revealing Chiron.

"What's going on here?" He demanded, his eyes falling on the girl with curly hair, "Clarisse?" The girl pointed with her sword towards me and Sakura.

"That girl is an intruder," She said, her voice fierce, "I was dealing with it, but then _he_ interfered."

"Dealing with it?" I said, my voice hard, "You were going to kill her!"

"Naruto, calm down," Chiron said slowly, then turned to Sakura, "What's your name?"

"Sakura," She said uncertainly. I could tell she didn't know what to think. Chiron nodded then looked at me.

"Naruto, do you know her?" I nodded.

"Well then," He said, "I will let you talk to her—"He looked at Clarisse—"Alone." Chiron turned and walked off, the half-bloods trailing behind. Clarisse followed slowly, looking at me briefly. I glared and she walked off. Once everyone was gone, I turned and smiled at Sakura.

"I was wondering if I would see you again." Sakura looked around, as if wondering if she was really here.

"Where am I?"

"Camp half-blood," I told her, "Its kinda hard to explain, but this is where the children of the gods go to train." She gave me a blank look and I shrugged.

"I can't explain it all right now. You probably won't be here long." Sakura hugged herself, suddenly looking tired. I peered more closely at her and noticed how she had bandages covering her left upper arm and her right hand. She also had a small cut on her face.

"Sakura….what happened?" I asked, taking a few steps towards her. She didn't look up at me, just reached out and grabbed my injured arm.

"Even when you're not home, you always get yourself hurt," She muttered and began healing it. I drew away gently.

"Leave it," I told her, "What happened?" She slowly looked up at me.

"Is this the place where all those occurrences are coming from?" I nodded.

"There growing more frequent," She said, "People are disappearing for days at a time and coming back half dead. The hospital is flooded with patients and we're having to send patrols out every few hours." I clenched my fists. I knew that it was half-bloods and all those weird creatures that were doing this to Konoha and probably all those other villages. And I knew that the half-bloods weren't doing this on purpose. But, I couldn't stop myself from getting angry. Who the hell was doing this and why? What did we do to deserve it?

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked, feeling helpless. Sakura shook her head, practically in tears. I could tell she was at her limit. I wanted to hug her but I didn't know what she would do. I also didn't know the extent of her injuries and I didn't want to hurt her. To my surprise, she stepped towards me and threw her arms around my neck, crying softly.

"Come back to the village, Naruto," She said quietly.

"I don't know how," I said, slowly wrapping my arms around her. She stayed like that for a few more seconds then pulled away.

"At least you're ok," She said, sniffing.

"Of course," I said, "And I will come back. I don't know when, but I will. I promise." She smiled faintly then her form flickered.

"Hurry," She said, her voice urgent, "Something's happening."

"What? What's happening?" I asked, worry for her and the village setting in. She looked to the side, as if seeing something in Konoha then looked back at me, her face pleading.

"Hurry Naruto!" She said desperately, and her form flickered for last time.

"Sakura!" I said, lunging forward and grabbing her hand, even though I knew it wouldn't help. She disappeared, her hand dissolving in my own. I starred at the place she had been. I had a bad feeling. An image of Sakura lying on the ground broken and bleeding flashed in my mind's eye. I locked my eyes shut and clenched my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms. A loud clap of thunder sounded followed by a strong gust of wind. I opened my eyes, my clothes and hair flapping in the wind. I stared up at the sky. In the distance was this dark….stuff. It looked like storm clouds, but they were a lot darker. Pretty much black. It was still far away, but it was moving, slowly, but moving. Something _was_ happening.

I sighed and started back towards the cabins. It was late in the afternoon. I never realized how long Capture the Flag went. That reminded me of that guy that attacked me. I was positive he wasn't from Camp Half-Blood. Something just wasn't right about him. Plus, the way he looked at me was just…..I dunno. My main concern though was Konoha. Would it get destroyed again, like it had with Pain? The village couldn't handle something like that again, that's for sure. I don't know how, but I won't let that happen. Not again. I reached the cabins and headed towards the Infirmary. Normally, I would just take care of the wound myself, but I knew Sakura would want me to get it looked at. Actually, no, she would _make_ me get it looked at. Either way, I was going to the Infirmary. I walked in and an Apollo kid looked up. She said something to a guy sitting on a bed then walked over to me.

"Hi," She said, then noticed the cut on my arm, "Follow me." I trailed behind her, looking around. Beds lined the walls. Not many were being used, just some kids who got injured during Capture the Flag. The girl gestured to a bed.

"Stay here and I'll be back." I nodded and sat on the bed. A few minutes later and she returned holding some bandages, a gauze and alcohol. She sat beside me and gently rolled my jacket sleeve up. She took a piece of gauze, wet it with alcohol, then looked at me.

"This might sting," She warned and lightly dabbed the cut. I watched her silently. When she was done, she wrapped the cut then tied it tightly.

"You'll probably have to change the bandage every now and then," She told me, "Since it'll bleed a lot. But other than that, your good."

"Thanks," I said then stood and started out the door. The dinner bell rang and I brightened, heading towards the Pavilion. I hadn't eaten all day. I walked inside and saw Kacia sitting at her table, eating pizza. I smirked and headed towards the table, sitting across from her.

"Hey, your finally up," I said. She looked at me over her pizza, her eyes red-rimmed. She had been crying. It didn't really surprise me, but I wasn't expecting it.

"What's wrong?" I asked slowly, remembering what Nico said about something happening to her in her past.  
>"Nothing," She muttered, biting in her pizza and ignoring me. I decided to leave it for now and said what I wanted to eat.<p>

Once we were done eating, I walked out of the Pavilion, Kacia trailing behind me silently. I could tell something was wrong. The sadness coming off of her was practically palpable. She was still wearing her camouflage T-shirt and black athletic shorts. The only sign that she had decided to get out of bed—aside from her coming to dinner—was the fact that her hair was wet from taking a shower.

"Naruto!" I stopped and turned to see Nico followed by Percy approaching us. They probably wanted to know what Sakura had said. Nico looked at Kacia, concern in his eyes.

"You ok?" He asked. Kacia only nodded stiffly. Nico didn't pry any further and looked at me.

"So..who was that girl?" He asked. His nose and lip weren't bleeding anymore. The only injury he had was a small cut on his face, but you can't call that an injury.

"It was my teammate, Sakura," I told him.

"What'd she want?" Percy asked. I shrugged.  
>"She just told me all that was happening at my village," I explained, "And that something bad was going to happen, either here or there…or both." Nico raised an eyebrow and Percy made a face.<p>

"Did she elaborate?" Nico asked. I shook my head.

"No, but after she disappeared, that stuff in the sky appeared," I said, pointing. They all looked at the dark stuff that was gathering in the distance. Kacia seemed to stiffen at the sight. Obviously she had seen it before.

"Kacia," Percy said, "Have you seen it before?" She slowly nodded.

"Yeah, in a dream," She said quietly. I guess she didn't like the dream.

"What did you see?" I asked hesitantly.

"A battle," She said, "Between half-bloods and ninjas. Everything kept flickering like the ninjas do with their here for a short amount of time. There was a volcano and that black stuff was covering the whole sky." We all starred at her. A battle? Great.

"Are you sure?" I asked. She looked at me, her green eyes flashing.

"Yes," She snapped. I raised my hands in surrender and Nico cast me a 'told ya' look. Percy looked at me.

"Are you going to tell Chiron?"

"Tomorrow," I said, stretching, "I'm too tired right now." The two walked off, Nico looking at Kacia worriedly. I followed Kacia to our cabin and shut the door. She went to her bunk and sat down with a sigh. Man, she really was upset.

"Kacia, Nico told me something happened to you a long time ago on this day," I said slowly, "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," She said, lying on her back, her legs dangling over edge. Ok, that was something. Sorta. I walked over and stood in front of her.

"You can tell me, you know."

"Thanks but no thanks," She said, her voice edgy. I thought back to when I had found of that Pervy Sage had been killed. I had acted about the same way Kacia was. Depressed. Didn't want to talk to anyone. Maybe someone had died today in her past.

"Did you lose someone close to you?" I asked slowly. That obviously hit a nerve because she stood and shoved my chest hard.

"What do you know about it?" She challenged, "You never had any parents! So just leave me alone!" I was kinda surprised. But I understood how she felt. I reached out to touch her but she slapped my hand away and started towards the door.

"Kacia—" I started.

"_Back off!" _She yelled and opened the door, slamming it shut behind her. Sighing, I turned and climbed into my bed. I wanted to help her if only she wasn't so freaking stubborn. Shaking my head, I closed my eyes.

**.::**_Kacia's POV_**::.**

I walked down the steps and stalked into the forest, away from camp. Why did Naruto always have to pry into my life? Why did he even care? It's none of his business anyway. If I had wanted help I would have asked. I didn't want—or need—his sympathy. I growled angrily and punched a tree, ignoring the pain and the blood trickling down my fingers. What angered me most though was how he seemed to just know when something was bothering and what it was. I sank to the ground, my back resting against the trunk of the tree. _Why would he care? _Was the thought that kept running in my mind. Why would anyone care? I didn't deserve any of it. Everyone would be better off if they'd just let me be. Sure, sometimes I've thought that I could get close to someone. Maybe I would be happier that way. Maybe I would finally heal. But, in the end, I remained alone. Then, of course, I met Nico. I'm surprised even he hasn't left. But, I'm happy he hasn't. Sighing, I turned and lied on my back, starring up at the sky. The full moon shone brightly, bathing the forest in pale light. I began humming a song and slowly began to sing.

"I tried to kill the pain, but only brought more. So much more. I lay dying and I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal. I'm dying. Praying. Bleeding. And screaming. Am I to lost to be saved? Am I to lost? My God! My tourniquet! Return to me salvation. My God! My tourniquet. Return to me salvation. Do you remember me, lost for so long? Will you be on the other side? Or will you forget me? I'm dying. Praying. Bleeding. And screaming. Am I to lost to be saved? Am I to lost? My God! My tourniquet! Return to me salvation. My God! My tourniquet! Return to me salvation. " 

I stood and slowly made my way back to the cabin. I quietly opened the door, freezing as he creaked on its hinges. Naruto didn't wake though. He just turned in his sleep, mumbling something. Relieved, I shut the door and tip-toed to my bed and lied down. Closing my eyes, I quickly fell asleep.  
>.<p>

**A/N: And its finished! Hehe, yeah I know I took my sweet time writing this, but it's here now! :D Thanks to those who reviewed, your awesome, like usual. And I will see you next time. Please review! ;D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own (sadly) the Anime Naruto Shippuden or the book series Percy Jackson **_**or**_** the song by Evanescence. They belong to their rightful owners.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Heey! I'm soooooo terribly sorry for the beyond extremely late update! I hadn't realized how much time had gone by and kept putting it off. Hopefully this'll make up for the wait! :D Anyways, onto the reviewers!**

**Jenny: I'm not planning on putting any other Naruto characters in the story. If they appear at all, it's briefly. Like Sasuke and Sakura. **

**Headsupdisplay: Ok, I'm not exactly sure what you're saying…do you want me to swear more? Lol. I usually don't swear, which is why it's not in the story much. But, I will put it in **_**if**_** it fits the emotion in that moment….so yeah. And thanks, I shall remember that there called bracers next time No, I do not play mmos, I don't even know what that is. And like I said, this story takes place **_**after**_** Naruto's battle with Pain, which begins in episode 162 in Shippuden, and after Sasuke's battle with Danzo. Yes, the kyuubi is going to pop up soon, I don't know when exactly, but it is going to happen. And I don't know what the "last ability healing/non tail chakra" is….so I don't know how to answer that. BUT, I hope all that helps! :D**

** Ok! Onto the story and please review! **

**.::**_Chapter 6—Six Feet From the Edge_**::.**

**.::**_Kacia's POV_**::.**

_**I tossed and turned in my bed, mumbling incoherent things. I was four again, skipping towards where my Mother waited across the school grounds by the chain-link fence. She smiled and gestured for me to hurry. We were going to go shopping for some more clothes for me then go out for ice cream. I began running, my back-pack thumping against me. Suddenly, time stopped. My Mother had disappeared and I skidded to a halt. I looked around as time returned to normal. The school grounds had gone quiet. The rest of the children had left with their parents. The only noise was the faint screech of the swings on their rusted chains by the playground. I slowly turned in a circle looking for my Mother.**_

"_**Mama?" I called, my voice quivering somewhat. The air whistled to the left closely followed by a cry of pain. I took a few steps towards the voice had come from then froze. Mother lay on her side, holding herself up with her hands. Blood flecked her face and trickled down her arm where there was a gash. **_

"_**Mama!" I said, running towards her with outstretched arms. Mother looked at me, her eyes wide with fear and worry. I had never seen her like that before. Mother was strong. She didn't cry about anything. She could fight off anything. Or so I had thought. **_

"_**Run, Kacia," She said, her voice holding an edge, "Run and don't stop." I starred at her, not wanting to leave. I didn't know the way home. **_

"_**But—" I began. **_

"_**Run!" She yelled, as a man seemed to materialize a few feet away. I turned and ran up the hill towards the chain link fence. I pushed through the gate and ran down the sidewalk. Behind me, I heard Mother cry out multiple times. Tears formed at the rims of my eyes, blurring my vision. I stumbled and fell, scuffing my hands. Footsteps echoed behind me and I scrambled to my feet. I ran, the tears streaming down my face. I felt a presence and then a shadow loomed ahead. A hand wrapped around my neck and lifted me above the ground. I opened my mouth in a silent scream and kicked my legs wildly. I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt a cold blade graze my cheek. Blood trickled down, blending with my tears. The blade lifted and I slowly opened my eyes. Where Kronos would have been, Max stood. His brown hair had spots of blood in it. He looked older, maybe nineteen or twenty. But, the small scar above his left eyebrow confirmed it was him. He smiled cruelly at me. **_

"_**Goodbye Kacia," He said, "Say hi to Hades for me." He drew the blade up then brought it down towards me. It hissed through the air, gleaming where the sun hit it. I shut my eyes, whimpering softly. Then I felt Max's arm jerk and I fell to the ground. The air was knocked out of my chest and I starred up at my Mother fighting Max. She grabbed his wrist holding the blade and kneed his gut. He kicked her legs out from under her and she fell, releasing his wrist. Max turned and strode over to me. Once again, the blade rose in the air. I watched it fall, unable tear my eyes away. Then Mother was kneeling in front of me, smiling warmly. I reached to touch her face. She mouthed 'I love you' then her eyes widened and blood trickled from the side of her mouth. I looked down and saw the tip of the sword peeking through her gut. Blood dripped from the tip and I screamed. As everything went black, somewhere I heard my Mother singing softly. I immediately recognized the song. It was one of many lullabies she sang to help me sleep. **_

"_**Deep in the meadow, under the willow**_

_**A bed of grass, a soft green pillow**_

_**Lay down your head and close your sleepy eyes**_

_**And when they open the sun will rise**_

_**Here it's safe, here its warm**_

_**Here the daisies guard you from every harm**_

_**Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true**_

_**Here is the place where I love you.**_

_**Deep in the meadow, hidden far away**_

_**A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray**_

_**Forget your woes and let your troubles lay**_

_**And when again its morning they'll wash away**_

_**Here it's safe, here It's warm**_

_**Here the daises guard you from every harm**_

_**Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true**_

_**Here is the place where I love you."**_

I gasped and bolted upright. I've had that dream ever sense my Mother died. But, why was Max in it instead of Kronos? Were the gods trying to warn me in some sick way that he was a threat? If so, where ever Max is, Brianna isn't far behind. I gripped the hem of my covers until my knuckles turned white. They had some nerve showing their faces again.

"You ok?" I half expected to see Naruto when I turned but instead saw Nico peering at me.

"Yeah," I replied, starring at my covers absent mindedly.

"Kacia, you look like you just saw a ghost," Nico said, a hint of bluntness in his voice. He reached down, grabbed my wrist, and held it up. "And your making a fist." I looked at him, knowing there was no point in dodging the question.

"I had _that_ dream again," I said, leaning against the headboard. Nico moved and sat on the other end of the bed, pulling his knees up to his chest and waited patiently for me to continue.

"Except, Max was there instead of Kronos," I continued. Nico's eyes flickered briefly.

"Do you think it's some kind of warning?" He asked, watching me. I shrugged.

"Who knows? He's never appeared in my dreams before." I realized that the cabin was completely quiet except for the two of us. Naruto wasn't here.

"Where's the idiot?" I asked, pushing my covers away.

"With Chiron." Nico replied. He stood and started towards the door then paused when I didn't follow.

"You coming?" He asked.

"I'll catch up in a sec," I told him, "I gotta change." Nico nodded and walked out the door, shutting it behind him. I went to my dresser, grabbed a pair of denim shorts and a blue T-shirt, then quickly changed. I raked a brush through my hair then pulled it into a ponytail. Pulling my converse onto my feet, I walked out of my cabin door and stood on the front porch. A little ways off at the Blue House, Naruto was talking to Chiron. Probably about what that girl told him.

I looked into the distance. The inky stuff was moving very slowly towards camp. Dread crept into me. What was going to happen that would drive un into a full scale battle with the ninjas? Did Max and Brianna have something to do with it? Was there some way we could stop it? There had to be. Because there was no way we could survive something like that. The breakfast bell rang loudly and kids made their way towards the pavilion. I sighed and jumped down the steps and followed. I wonder what Naruto thinks of all this. It must be hard, being in a different world then finding out there was going to be a war. That brought a though to my mind. What side would he choose? His peoples or ours? I looked towards where he was waving bye to Chiron and heading towards the pavilion. I wouldn't blame him if he chose his peoples. But, still. I just couldn't imagine fighting against him. I shook my head and groaned as I slide into my seat at my table. I didn't want to think about that.

"What's up?" I glanced up to see Naruto moving into his usual seat across from me.

"I was just thinking," I said then ordered a BLT and strawberry lemonade. Naruto ordered pancakes, surprisingly.

"Thinking about what?" He asked as he drizzled syrup onto his food. I picked up my sandwich and studied it, deciding where to bite without everything spilling out.

"The war," I said after a few minutes, "the one in my dream." He looked at me, a weird look crossing his face before returning to normal.

"I've been thinking about that to," He said slowly, then smiled, "But, we'll figure something out." I chewed slowly then swallowed. I just didn't understand how he could be so positive. There could be a freaking _war_ against his people! And here he is, saying we'll figure something out.

"How can you be so positive?" I asked, starring at him. Blondie shrugged, licking a drop of syrup off his arm.

"Being negative won't help any," Naruto replied, his blue eyes lifting to look at me, "I know very well what could happen. I've seen what war can do. I'm just choosing not to focus on that." My mind went back to my dream. All the people fighting, the ground littered with bodies. I wish that the war wouldn't happen. There were little kids here. Ones to young to go to war. We finished our food in silence. I followed Naruto outside, weaving through the throng of people. To my surprise, Naruto started heading towards the arena where we practiced sword fighting.

"Your actually going to practice?" I asked, smirking. He looked back at me.

"I told Nico I would meet him there. You wanna come?" I scanned the crowd while I decided. My eyes fell on Chiron gesturing for me to come to him.

"Nah, I'll meet up with you guys later," I told him, "I gotta go." Naruto shrugged then ran off.  
>"See ya later!" He called over his shoulder. I strode over to the centaur.<p>

"What's up?" I asked him, squinting against the sun. He turned and began walking, his hoofs thudding softly on the ground.

"I want you to go retrieve a half-blood," He began slowly, "One of the satyrs located her."

"Ok, sounds easy enough," I said, slipping my hands in my pockets. Chiron stopped and looked at me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Kacia, don't take this lightly. I want you to be careful."

"I'll be fine," I told him, "Don't worry. What's the satyrs name?"

"Jack," Chiron replied, then added after a few seconds, "I want you to take Naruto with you."I groaned and hung my head.

"_Why?__" _I protested, making a pleading face. Chiron sighed, as if expecting my reaction. Which, he probably was.

"Because, if another one of his people appears, he can handle it."

"What? You don't think I could?"

"No and it'd be good for him." Something told me he was holding something back. I mumbled under my breathe.

"Fine, I'll take him," I said grudgingly, "Where's the half-blood located?"

"Clearwater, Florida," Chiron replied. I nodded, disguising my surprise and alarm. That was where I had grown up. The place where I had my best and worst memories. The last place I had seen my Mother alive. Chiron didn't know. I had never told him where my Mother died.

"And will the satyr meet us somewhere?" I asked hurriedly. The centaur nodded.

"He'll meet you at the Museum of Natural History." I nodded.

"Are you alright dear?" He asked, peering at me worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll go get Naruto." I hurried off, walking with my head down. When I reached the arena, the sounds of clashing metal reached my ears. I walked in and scanned the place for the two boys I was looking for. There were a lot of kids there. Percy was helping teach a little boy, maybe eight. The rest were either sparring in pairs or hacking at the dummies. I saw Naruto fighting a guy I didn't know. Close by, Nico was sitting on a bench, a water bottle in his hands. I strode over, carefully navigating around the half-bloods. They didn't really watch what they were doing. They were only focused on their opponent. So, you had to seriously watch what was going on or you'll get hit. I sat down next to Nico with a loud sigh. He averted his eyes from Blondie and looked at me.

"Alright, now what?" He asked, leaning back against the arena wall.

"Chiron wants us to go retrieve a new half-blood," I told him. Nico furrowed his eyebrows.

"And? What's so bad about that?"

"It's in Clearwater," I told him, "Clearwater, Florida."

"Oh," He said, "it can't be that bad."

"It's not really, I just don't want to go back."

"Then tell Chiron to have someone else to it." I shook my head.

"Nah, I already told him I would. Besides, he wants Naruto to go." Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" I shrugged.

"I dunno. He said it would be good for him." I cupped my hands over my mouth.

"Hey Blondie! Come here!" I yelled so he would hear me. Naruto blocked his opponents sword then jumped back. The other guy nodded at Naruto and then walked off towards these other two sparring. Blondie strode towards us. He had taken his jacket off and only wore a black T-shirt. I noticed he had a blue-ish diamond necklace hung around his neck. I had never seen it before.

"What's up?" He asked, panting slightly.

"We're going to Florida," I told him. Naruto made a face. I sighed. I forgot he probably didn't know what that was.

"It's a different state," I told him, "By the ocean."

"Ok…but why?" He asked, bending to grab his water bottle and unscrewing the cap.

"Chiron wants us to go retrieve a new half-blood," Nico explained.

"Ohhh. Now?" I nodded.

"Yup," I said. I turned to Nico, "We'll meet you on top of Half-Blood Hill." He nodded and we all left the arena, heading to our separate cabins. I walked up the steps to my cabin and opened the door. I went to the back and crouched behind the last bunk bed. I ran my fingers along the carpet then found a seam and pulled the carpet away, revealing a trap door.

"You have a freaking trap door in your cabin?" Naruto exclaimed, kneeling next to me. I rolled my eyes and opened the door. Inside were duffel bags, spare nectar, first aid supplies and other stuff like that. (**A/N: Ok, I don't remember what they call that stuff that heals half-bloods. So, I'm just calling it nectar.) **I grabbed a duffel bag and a Ziploc bag then looked at Naruto uncertainly.

"Do you want a duffel bag?" I asked, "To pack stuff in?" He shook his head.

"Nah, I have what I need." I unzipped my bag and began packing some of the nectar and first aid supplies then stood. I went to my dresser and opened the top drawer. I kept my drachma coins in there, along with mortal money. I took all the cash and drachmas I had and stuffed them in a Ziploc baggy and put it in my bag. As I pushed the drawer closed, I saw a old picture in the back. I reached in and pulled it towards me. It was an old picture of me and my Mother in front of our house in Florida. My Mother crouched on the ground, holding me to her chest. She was smiling and I was laughing. The old familiar ache in my chest returned and I quickly folded the picture and put it in my pocket before Naruto could see what I was doing. I also grabbed my IPod off of the top of the dresser and slipped it in with the picture. I looked over at Naruto and realized he was watching me.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head, that weird look crossing his face again. He strapped his pouch to his waist and grabbed his jacket. I zipped up my duffel back and slung it over my shoulder.

"You ready?" I asked.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, grabbing his jacket off his bed. We walked out of my cabin and started towards half-blood hill. Nico was at the top waiting, a back-pack over one shoulder.

"So…are we shadow-traveling again?" Naruto asked.

"It's the only way to get to Florida without flying," Nico said.

"Nico and Percy don't like flying," I said, "Something to do with Zeus not liking them." Naruto nodded, smirking.

"Ok, do your thing," I said, reaching for Nico's wrist. Death Boy closed his eyes and muttered under his breath then we disappeared.

During my time with Nico, we shadow-travelled a lot. Not once did I land in a weird place. I always just hit the ground. This time, _this time_, was different. I felt branches snap beneath my body as I fell through the tree. Maybe fifteen feet above the ground, I grabbed a thicker branch and pulled myself onto it. I winced as my sides protested loudly to my movement. I lifted my shirt and examined them. I poked at my ribs, seeing if anything was broken. Miraculously, nothing was. They were just bruised badly. I realized how high I really was and gripped the branch tighter. I _hate _heights. My fingers began shaking slightly. I forced myself to look down and look for Nico and Naruto.

"Guys? Nico? Naruto?" I called when I didn't see them.

"Hey! I found her!" I heard Nico call. A few seconds later and he appeared at the bottom of the tree, Naruto close behind.

"You ok?" Nico called, cupping his hands over his mouth.  
>"Yeah, but I can't get down."<p>

"Why not?" Naruto asked, "Just climb down." I immediately shook my head. I know, I know, it's sad and pathetic. But, there was some logic to it. Somehow, the branch I was on was a good deal farther from any other branch. So, I would have to either dangle myself over my branch and drop in the hopes of hitting a branch. Or, just inch down the trunk. I wasn't doing either. Why wasn't I doing either? Because I don't think I could actually get down because I was shaking.

"She doesn't like heights," I heard Nico tell Naruto. I could tell Naruto was trying not to laugh. Nico was smiling but looking around for a way to get me down.

"Kacia, your gonna have to climb down," Nico said after a few minutes, "There's nothing here we could use to help you." I moaned and leaned against the trunk. Pain shot through me and I quickly sat forward. I raised my hand above my head and felt along my back. By my right shoulder blade, my shirt was torn where there was a cut. I drew my hand away bloody. I swore and wiped them on my shorts. I heard Naruto sigh.

"I'll go get her," He said, and jumped onto the lowest branch then began climbing. When he reached the branch closest to mine, he placed his hands on the trunk, then one foot after the other, and began walking upright. I raised my eyebrows. This boy just had more and more surprises. When he reached me, he crouched on the trunk and offered me his hand. I looked at it then at his face.

"Come on, Kacia," He said, "I won't drop you."

"You better not," I growled as I let my legs dangle over the branch. I leaned forward, deliberately not looking down, and grabbed his hand. Naruto twisted and reached for my legs with his other hand. Mentally scolding myself for being so freaked out, I pushed off the branch and fell into his arms. He held me bridal style, my fingers laced behind his neck. Naruto smirked at me then pushed off the trunk, falling a few feet to the next branch. I gripped his shirt and closed my eyes. He jumped from branch to branch then landed lightly on the ground.

"You can open your eyes now," He said. I opened my eyes and he set me down.

"That's the first and last time you're doing that," I told Naruto. Said boy just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." Nico was smiling from ear to ear.

"When we get a hotel, you two are sleeping together." I glared at him, which only made him laugh. Naruto was beginning to smile to.

"No way," I told him, then turned to Naruto, "Wipe that grin off your face." Both boys began laughing and I rolled my eyes. What has my life come to?

"Hey, your bleeding," Naruto said, ceasing his laughing.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I guess a branch cut me while I was falling," I said, looking over my shoulder in an attempt to look at the cut. Nico walked over and examined the cut as best he could without taking my shirt off.

"It doesn't look bad, but its bleeding a lot," He said, wiping his fingers off on his jeans.

"I have some first aid stuff in my bag," I said, turning then realizing that I didn't know where my bag was. It must have landed somewhere else. But, it had to be in that tree somewhere.

"Well, I _did_ have first aid stuff in my bag, if we can find it," I mumbled.

"I think I see it," Naruto said, squinting up at the tree. I followed his gaze and saw my bag hanging from its strap in the tree I had landed in.

"Yup, that's it. Can you get it?" Naruto nodded and jumped into the tree once again. He began climbing and soon reached my duffel bag. He walked along the branch towards it. It swayed dangerously from his weight but Naruto just kept walking, holding his arms away from his body. The branch the bag was hanging on was a little higher than where I had landed, so when Naruto took the bag and jumped, free falling, I felt my body tense. But, he didn't hit any branches and landed in a crouch. He made a confused face when he saw me and Nico starring.

"What?" He asked, walking over.

"You could get yourself killed doing that," Nico said, taking the bag.

"Nah," Naruto said, waving a hand dismissively, "I don't that all the time." I shook my head. This guy could probably perform stunts that would originally kill somebody. Nico took out some gauze pads and medical tape. Once, when I was little, I had mistaken the tape for foot-wrap-bandages. Mainly because the tape looks kinda like a role of fabric but its stick on one side. **(A/N: Ok, on foot-wrap-bandages, I don't know the technical term. But, it's that stretchy stuff that you can wrap a sprained ankle in. So yeah, sorry about that). **

"Unless you want me to tear your shirt more, I'll have to raise it up," Nico said, opening the package holding the gauze pads. I shrugged and grabbed the hem of my shirt and raised it up to my shoulders without exposing my chest. I know, some of you might think that's weird. But, like I've said, I trusted Nico, and I didn't think Naruto would really do anything. Plus, the cut really was bleeding a lot. My shirt was dampening fast. Nico handed the medical tape to Naruto then placed two gauze pads to the wound. Blondie, with some difficulty, taped the gauze pads to my back. When they were finished, I slide my shirt carefully over the make-shift bandage.

"Just an FYI," Nico told me, "the tape will probably hurt if you peel it off."

"Yeah," Naruto added, "It's extremely sticky." Nico smirked and I took my bag, zipped it, then slung it over my shoulder. We headed towards the sidewalk. We had landed in a park by a neighborhood.  
>"So, did Chiron say where we're supposed to find this half-blood?" Nico asked.<p>

"He said that the satyr—Jack—that located her would meet us at the Museum of Natural History," I said, looking around. Large houses lined the streets. This must be the nicer end of Clearwater.

"Ok, so do you know where that is?" Naruto asked, his fingers laced behind his head. I shook my head.

After a while, we exited the nicer area of Clearwater and entered the not-so-nice-but-not-poor-end of Clearwater. I studied the houses as we turned onto a different street. I looked up at the street pole holding the street names. We were on Shadowbend Drive. This was the street I had lived on. I trailed behind Naruto and Nico then stopped, my eyes falling on a certain house. It was a one-story, the wooden railing on the front porch rotten and broken off in some places. The shutters were hanging on their hinges, banging against the windows in the wind. The windows were clouded with dust, guarding the inside from prying eyes. The yard overgrown with weeds, crowding around the house. Tilting my head, I reached into my pocket and drew out the picture I had found. I held it out in front of me. The house reflected the one in the picture. That was where I had lived. A relic of the past fighting against time. It was apparent no one was living there. I wonder why the housing district hadn't come in and cleaned it up and made it livable again. I fought back the tears that sprang to my eyes. I wanted to go inside, to see if everything was still there.

"Kacia?" I turned at the sound of Nico's voice. Both boys were a little ways ahead, watching me. When I didn't move, they came to me. Both looked at the picture in my hand then at the house in front of me.

"Is that where you lived?" Naruto asked slowly. I only nodded, not trusting my voice. I felt Nico's hand on my shoulder and I slowly turned and hugged him. He returned it then I stepped away, slipping the photo back into my pocket.

"Do you want to go inside?" Naruto asked. I looked at him, there was something in his eyes. I was trying to figure out what, then it hit me. Understanding. But, how could he understand how I felt? He never had any parents to begin with.

"We'll wait out here if you want," Nico offered. I shook my head then started across the yard, lifting my knees high over the weeds. The boys followed behind me. I walked up the porch steps, the wood creaking loudly under my weight. I wrapped my hand around the cold door knob and turned. When the door wouldn't open, I shoved my weight against it. It swung inward and I stepped inside. To my surprise, the furniture was still there. The small table we had in the entry way was still there, dust covering it. Mildew crowded the corners and the floor was in really bad shape. I strode through the entry way and into the living room. On the far wall, in between two windows, our old TV was mounted to the wall. In front of it was our couch, two chairs and a coffee table. Dust covered all of it. The leather on the couch was cracked and dusty. On the left wall, by the hallway to the bedrooms, hung our pictures. I walked over and ran my hand over one to remove the dust. It was my uncle Mark and Mother. They were sitting together on the couch. He was laughing and my Mother was smiling. I don't remember him much, but I know he was more of a father to me than Kronos ever was. He and Mother were close. He would visit often and sometimes spend the night on the weekends. Sadly though, he died of cancer. I moved on and found baby pictures of me. I was holding a rattle and laughing in one. Starring wide-eyed at the camera in another. In another one, Mother was holding me by the waist and I was leaning forward with outstretched hands to pet a dog that was sniffing at me. That was my favorite one.

"You were a cute kid," Naruto said, standing beside me. I looked sidelong at him and he smiled faintly at me.

"He's right you know," Nico agreed, looking at another one. I turned away, feeling my face flush at the attention. I started down the hallway to the bedrooms. I walked into my bedroom. The walls were painted a light purple, since that had been my favorite color. My bedspread was bright spring colors with butterflies and flowers on it with a matching pillow. My toys were still scattered across the floor, where I had last left them. I was such a little girl. Naïve and innocent. Amazing how much one incident can change you. I strode to my bed and picked up my stuffed horse. He was black with a white star on his forehead. I had named him Black Beauty from the movie. I ran my finger over his snout fondly then set him down. I actually considered putting him in my bag and taking him with me. For sentimental reasons. Oh, why not? So, I unzipped my bag, grabbed Black Beauty and slipping him inside, zipping the bag afterwards.

"Wow, I can't imagine you having a room like this." I turned and saw Nico in the doorway, looking around.

"I was really little," I said, my eyes sweeping over the room.

"Yeah, I know. But, you're so different now."

"Things change. Life takes over." Nico nodded agreement and we exited the room. I headed to my Mothers room to find Naruto looking around. He was looking at a picture of her and her former husband. They were young, at least in their twenties. She had been married before she met Kronos. The ex-husband had dark blond-light brown hair and hazel eyes. He had a light beard and his arm was wrapped around my Mothers shoulders.

"Who is that guy?" Naruto asked, pointing.

"My Mothers ex-husband," I told him, "She had been married before she met Kronos. But, they divorced. Or that's what she told me." Blondie looked at the guy, then set the picture back down.

"We should probably get going," I said, feeling reluctant. The boys nodded and they walked out of the room. I turned and followed but paused at the doorway. My eyes scanning the room one last time. I really wished I could stay longer, but we needed to get to the museum, which we didn't even know the location of. With a sigh, I strode down the hallway, across the living room and down the small entry way. I opened the front door and shut it behind me. The action held a sense of finality.

After a lot of backtracking and asking old people for directions, we reached the Museum of Natural History.

"Ugh, freaking _finally!" _ Naruto exclaimed, standing at the foot of the steps leading up to the front doors.

"You guys wait out here," I said, "I'll go inside and see if I can find Jack." I started up the stairs and into the building. People milled about the lobby, looking at the pictures and artifacts they had. Halls were to my left and right and directly in front of me. One person stood out though. He wore a hat over his crazy curly hair and didn't seem to know what to do with his hands. He twiddled his thumps as he paced and walked with a funny gait. That had to be our satyr. I walked over and stopped a few feet away.

"Are you Jack?" I asked, crossing my arms. He turned quickly then smiled, as if relieved to see me.

"Yeah," He said, ceasing his pacing, but still twiddled his thumbs, "Uh, what's your name?"  
>"Kacia," I said, "I have some friends waiting outside. You can catch us up as we go." I turned and walked towards the door, hearing the satyr following behind. Outside, the sun was setting behind the horizon. Nico and Blondie were sitting on the steps, waiting. They looked up as I approached.<p>

"Ok, Jack this is Nico and Naruto," I said, pointing, "Guys, this is Jack." Nico half waved.

"Nice to meet ya," Naruto said, standing. Jack looked at Blondie.

"You don't seem like a half-blood," He finally said slowly.

"I'm not," Naruto replied, linking his fingers behind his head.

"We'll explain that later," I said, "Let's just find a place to stay, it's getting late." We walked down the street, scouting for any hotels. On the way, Jack caught us up on the new half-blood and her whereabouts. He said she was probably around thirteen and carried a backpack and a knife but no other weapons of any sort. Her hair was jaw-length and kinda messy and blonde.

"Do you know where she is now?" Nico asked, slipping his hands in his pockets.

"Not really," Jack said, "I saw her at a port a little ways from here and meet with this older girl then got on a boat with her. I tried to keep track of it but I lost sight." I felt my body tense at the mention of the older girl. Could that be Brianna?

"How old was the other girl? Could you tell?" I asked, looking at Jack.

"Kacia, it couldn't possibly be Brianna," Nico said. Jack looked from me to Nico, obviously confused.

"She looked to be in her late teens to early twenties," He said uncertainly. I nodded.

"Any distinguishing features? Like scars?" The satyr shook his head.

"No, but she had a tattoo on the inside of her right forearm. It was some writing, I couldn't tell what it said." I felt my stomach drop . That was definitely Brianna, and where she was Max was probably there to. They had taken advantage of a inexperienced half-blood. Like they had with me. I wasn't about to let them hurt that girl. She didn't deserve that. I clenched my fists. Naruto looked just as confused as Jack. But, that weird look he'd been giving me all day crossed his face briefly. Nico just watched me, knowing what I was thinking.

Soon, we found a hotel and rented a room for the night. It had two beds, a bathroom, a small futon and a balcony. Sure, it sounds fancy, but it really wasn't. Nico immediately flopped down onto one of the beds with a sigh. I went into the bathroom and dropped my bag onto the floor. Taking my shirt off and putting it on the sink, I reached with my arm and slowly peeled off the gauze pads. I inspected the cut in the mirror. It wasn't too deep, but it probably need professional attention. But, we didn't have time for that. So, I grabbed some gauze pads and the medical tape and with a lot of difficulty, redid the bandage. I slipped my shirt back on and walked out. Nico and Jack were already passed out. Nico on one of the beds, Jack on the futon. Naruto wasn't there but I wasn't too worried. Sure, he could be an idiot but I didn't doubt he could take care of himself. I dropped my duffel bag on the floor by the bed Nico wasn't using, then went out onto the balcony. I leaned against my elbows on the railing, looking out over the city. The sun had set and the moon was beginning to rise. The city lights lit up the night and cars drove by beneath us, occasionally honking. I took out the old picture of me and my Mom and starred at it. Words couldn't describe how much I missed her. She hadn't deserved to die. She was too young. But, she had saved me, so I guess that counted for something. But, saying it was an honorable death didn't take the ache away. The wind blew my hair back as tears once again came to my eyes. I fought them back, sniffing.

"Please come now, I think I'm falling, I'm holding on to all I think is safe. It seems I've found the road to nowhere and I'm trying to escape. I yelled back when I heard thunder, but I'm down to one last breathe, and with it let me say, let me say. Hold me now, I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking, maybe six feet, ain't so far down," I sang softly to the wind.

"You know, you have a really pretty voice." Startled, I turned to see Naruto leaning against the doorframe of the balcony. I glared at him.

"Don't sneak up on me like that." He chuckled and shook his head, walking to stand beside me. He looked down at the picture in my hand and his eyes seemed to darken some. Which, if you've ever seen his eyes, seems impossible. They were so bright and happy.

"I know how you feel," He said, nodding to the photo, "About your Mother." My defenses flew up.

"No you don't," I said harshly, turning away and starring out at the city.

"You think just because I never had parents means I don't know how loss feels?" Naruto asked, his voice taking on a edge.

"It's one thing to lose a friend," I said, "It's a totally different thing to use a parent."

"Maybe," Naruto said, "But, when you grow up being hated, friend takes on a whole new meaning." I'll admit, that caught me off guard. Naruto grew up being _hated? _I'd imagine someone with that kind of childhood would turn out totally different than Naruto. He was so friendly and caring.

"People hated you?" I asked slowly, looking at him. He nodded.

"Yeah, because of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Everyone was scared that I would attack them and destroy the village. They treated me like I was the demon. But, then I met Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi-Sensei and Pervy Sage."

"Ok, but that doesn't explain how you could possibly understand how I feel," I said, looking away. Naruto starred out into the city for a few minutes before answering.

"You remember Sasuke?" He finally asked. I nodded.

"He left to be trained by a rogue ninja so he could get revenge on his brother. I tried to stop him but failed. After that, I didn't see him for three years. When I finally did find him, he tried to kill me." I didn't respond. I knew perfectly well what betrayal felt like.

"A while later, my other sensei—Pervy Sage—left the village to search out a powerful ninja called Pain. He found him and tried to kill him. But, he failed and ended up dying," Naruto continued, "Later, my village was completely destroyed by the same ninja. While fighting him, I found out that Pervy Sage had been his sensei to. I wanted to kill him so bad. I wanted to see him suffer. But, long story short, he did some jutsu and brought all the people that had died back to life and that killed him." His blue eyes bore into me, glowing fiercely. "So don't tell me I don't know what loss feels like." I was completely shocked. I didn't know what to say.

"Naruto…." I trailed off, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't apologize," He said, his voice quieter, "It's late, and I'm tired—" he stretched his arms above his head—"Let's go to bed." I followed him inside and shut the balcony door behind me. He went to the bed Nico wasn't using and climbed in, lying down on one side. Now, just so I'm clear, I was still fully against sleeping with him. But, I was seriously tired and didn't find strength to complain. So, I lied down in the bed next to him, but made sure there was distance between us.

"You better not try anything," I growled, "Or I'll beat the crap out of you." Naruto snorted.

"Psh, I wouldn't even think about it." I closed my eyes, aware of his still watching me, and quickly fell asleep.

**A/N: Again, I'm seriously sorry for the late update! I hope this makes up for it. Anyways, please review It would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and the lulluby in the biginning, is from The Hunger Games. Just so you guys know...**

**Disclaimer: I don't not own Naruto Shippuden, Percy Jackson, the lulluby from the Hunger Games, or the song by Creed. They belong to their rightful owners. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I'm so mean, taking a long time to update again. But, I'm back now! :D Thanks to Desturion and Naruto Forever for reviewing, you guys are awesome! And to Naruto Forever: that never really occurred to me, and I don't really know how to answer. BUT, just for you, let's just say that when Naruto was in the "in between" section of the two worlds, something happened, and he now speaks English. I wish I could give you a more technical answer but that's all I can think of. Sorry! **

**.::**_Chapter 7—The Waiting One_**::.**

**.::**_Naruto's POV_**::.**

I moaned and turned over in my sleep. I felt something pressed against my body and cracked open my eyes. It took me a second to realize that it was Kacia. Her back was up against my chest and my arm around her waist. Quickly, I moved away and rolled onto my back. Just to justify the closeness, the bed was actually pretty small. Two people probably weren't supposed to sleep in it. I turned my head and looked over at her, hoping she was still asleep. Thankfully, her steady breathing said she was. She sighed and turned over so she was facing me. I was kinda surprised at how different she looked. She just looked more peaceful and vulnerable. Much like whenever she was singing. I heard the door open then close a few seconds later and looked towards the door. Nico walked in, holding a donut to his mouth. He stopped when he saw that I was awake.

"Technically, I was kidding when I said that you two should sleep together," He said, smirking, "but you know, whatever." I rolled my eyes.

"It was late, and you were already asleep," I shot back. He just shook his head and went to the futon where Jack was still fast asleep, snoring. His hat had fallen off and lay on the floor. I noticed he had two horns peeking out from his mess of curly hair. I was starting to get used to all of the crazy weird creatures, but I was curious to what he was. Well, what a satyr was.

"So, what's a satyr exactly?" I asked. Nico took the last bite of his donut before answering.

"It's a human with goat legs and horns on their heads," He said, pointing to the said horns on Jack's head. "They can identify whether a human is a half-blood or not and are assigned to specific half-bloods to protect them." I nodded, glancing at Jack's legs. I guess that's why he was wearing jeans. I carefully got out of the bed, trying not to wake Kacia. I put my shoes on and grabbed my jacket from the floor.

"I'm gonna go get some food," I said, "Do you think I should bring back some...?"

"Yeah, that'd be good," He said, rummaging in his backpack. I nodded and took one of the keys to our room then walked out, letting the door click shut behind me. I wondered down the hall then followed the smell of food to the breakfast room. Rectangular tables lined the wall to my left. Coffee makers, muffins, bagels, cereal, a pancake maker, juice and other stuff was scattered across them. Small, circular tables were spread out throughout the rest of the room. TV's were mounted on the corners of the walls showing the news. Windows were on the opposite wall, hunter green curtains pulled to the side. Light streamed in, forming squares on the floor. People milled about, sitting alone reading a newspaper, talking quietly, watching the news, or just drinking coffee. I scanned the room for anything to carry food in back to our room. I saw a stray grocery bag on the floor and picked it up. I took a few muffins, bagels, a couple packets of cream cheese and some other stuff, and put them into the bag. I also grabbed a plastic knife to spread the cream cheese with. I turned to leave the room, when the news on the TV's became louder. I stopped and looked up at one of them. They were showing a picture of a girl. She had short, jaw-length, messy blonde hair and stood around 5'1". What information they had said that she carried a red backpack and was last seen at Everglades Port. Her name was Rain Taylor. That had to be the girl we were looking for. Of course, the news went on to say that she might be armed and if you see her, to notify the police, and to not approach her alone. I wonder why. Then again, she was a half-blood, so she probably was dangerous.

I left the room and turned down the hall, heading towards our room. I reached into my pocket and took out the key and slipped it into the slot above the handle. When it beeped and showed a green light, I opened the door and walked in. Jack was awake and sitting on the futon. His hat was now on his head and he was twiddling his thumbs. I wonder if that was a nervous habit or something. Nico was sitting on his bed, looking at a map. Kacia was towel-drying her hair while looking over his shoulder.

"I saw the girl we're looking for," I said, shutting the door and setting the key down on the small table. They all looked up at me.

"You did? Here?" Jack asked. I shook my head.

"No, on the news."

"Did they have any new information?" Nico asked, letting Kacia have the map.

"Not really," I told him, "Her names Rain Taylor. The last known place she was seen is Everglades Port."

"That sounds right," Jack said, then looked at Kacia, "Can you find it on the map?" She didn't reply for a few minutes, just stared at the map, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah," she finally replied, "It doesn't look to far." Her eyes raised to look at me over the map. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh, breakfast," I said, holding the bag up. Jack's face literally lit up and he stood and hurried over to me. I quickly grabbed a bagel and muffin before he took the bag.

"Hey! Don't hog it all," Kacia protested and walked over to Jack. She took a bagel and cream cheese then sat on the edge of the futon. Jack grabbed a couple muffins and a bagel then set the bag down on the ground. He sat on one of the beds, peeling the wrapping off one of the muffins. I started doing the same thing on my muffin.

"You're not hungry?" Kacia mumbled around her food, looking at Nico.

"I already ate," He said, shaking his head. We ate in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Jack spoke.

"So, if you're not a half-blood…what are you?" He asked, looking at me.

"I'm a ninja," I told him, "Or Shinobi, in my world." He scrunched up his face, obviously confused.

"Like the weird halo-graphic people?" Jack asked slowly. I nodded.

"Yeah, like them." I reached for Kacia's packet of cream cheese, since she had finished using it. I started spreading it on my bagel with the knife.

"So, how did you get here?" Jack inquired, finishing his food. I wonder how many times I'm going to be telling that story while I'm here. Man, that's going to get annoying.

"A door," I said, taking a bite of the bagel, "I was scouting out an area of my village with my team. Sai, one of the guys on the team, saw the door and led the rest of us to it. I was the only one transported." Jack was silent for a minute, I guess processing the whole thing. I finished my food and put the trash inside the bag.

"What's it like? Your world?" He finally asked. All three of them looked at me, waiting for my response. I honestly didn't know how to answer. I ran a hand through my hair, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Well…..it's not that different from here," I began, "Its split into Five Nations, the Land of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Lightning. My village is in the Land of Fire. Each village has a leader called a Hokage, which is responsible for the safety of the village. There are different ranking for ninja. The lowest is basically when you're young and are in the Academy and just learning the basics. Then, you take this test and if you pass you become genin and are put on a Team, afterwards is chunin, jonin and then the second highest from the Hokage is ANBU. Then there are Medical nin and Hunter nin. Medical nin are responsible for the care of injured shinobi, obviously. Hunter nin are responsible for the termination of rogue nin, which are ninjas that have abandoned their village…..what else do you wanna know?" Jack nodded slowly.

"So, do you have a set of rules that you go by?" He asked, raising his eyes to look at me.

"Mmm, not really," I said, "We get our missions from the Hokage, and we just obey what she or he says. Plus, the Hokage usually assigns a leader to the missions, so we have to obey whatever they say." Jack nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. I guess it was a lot to take in for him. Nico looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost ten.

"We should probably get going," He said. So, we all started packing our stuff up, which didn't take too long.

Afterwards, we checked out of the hotel and headed towards the port. We hailed a cab and he drove us across town to Everglades Port. Soon, we were following a road a little ways off from the city. The driver stopped at a gravel road leading up to a building painted a pale blue. Beyond it was a dock that stretched out across the ocean a little ways, which boats and jet skis were tied to. The waves splashes against the dock and rocked the boats back and forth. To our left a little ways were houses set up on a hill overlooking the beach. We all got out and Kacia paid the guy and he drove off. The air was cool, but not unpleasant.

"So…do you know the name of the boat Rain got on?" Nico asked Jack, looking at him. Jack made a face.

"Uh….It had something do with a flower…." He trailed off. We all frowned at him. To which he just shrugged, an innocent look on his face. We started towards the building, the gravel crunching beneath our feet. The entrance was open revealing a counter with a computer to one side and a cash-register on another. A large dog lied at the foot of the counter. As we approached, it raised its head and grunted.

"That dogs huge," I muttered, eyeing it. Kacia slowly walked through the doorway, glancing at the dog. I followed, Nico and Jack behind me. The dog stood and growled softly. Kacia visibly tensed, expecting the dog to attack.

"Emily, down," A voice said sternly. The dog eyed us once more then moved away and lied down. I looked up at the man who had walked in from a back room. He was an older man, tall, somewhat overweight and bald. He also had reading glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose.

"Sorry about that," He apologized, "She's a little wary of strangers. What can I do for you?"

"We're looking for a certain boat," Kacia told him. The man leaned forward on the counter.

"Ok, do you know the name of the boat?"

"No," Kacia said, shaking her head, "But, its name had something to do with a flower." The old man nodded, moving to the computer. He typed for a second then studied the screen. He then turned the screen so it was facing Kacia.

"These are all the boats we have that have flower in the name," The old man told her. She waved Jack over and he scanned the screen. He pointed at one.

"That's it," He said. The old man turned the screen back around and double clicked on the name.

"Ah, that's Scarlet Flower," The old man replied, "She left port a few days ago."

"Do you know where it was heading?" Kacia asked, crossing her arms.

"No….it doesn't say." Kacia nodded like she expected that.

"Do you have a picture of the boat we can have?" She asked. The old man frowned, then walked to the back room behind the counter. He returned a few minutes later holding a picture of the boat. The boat wasn't big, but it wasn't small. Four or five people could probably stay there comfortably. The whole boat was a light grey color with a red stripe across the sides. Above the red stripe, in big bold letters was _Scarlet Flower._ Kacia thanked the old man and took the picture, folding it and putting it in her pocket.

We left the place and started down the gravel road. I thought I saw someone watching us from a tree, but I didn't say anything about it. If it kept up, then I would. We walked on the side of the road, heading back into the city. How were we supposed to find Rain if we didn't even know where those two half-bloods were taking her? I wonder if that one guy that attacked me during capture the flag was one of them. He certainly seemed like he could be, especially how he was talking about me and sizing me up. Kacia must know the half-bloods that took the girl since she seemed pretty angry when Jack told us about Brianna, if that was really her name.

"How are we supposed to find that girl if we don't know where she is?" Jack asked, looking over at Kacia.

"I don't know. I figured they wouldn't disclose where they were heading," She replied, peering at Jack over her shoulder. Nobody spoke after that. We reached the city and walked the streets until we found a burger place. We went inside and ordered our food then sat at a booth. I looked out the window and saw the same guy I had seen earlier. What the hell? He was on the other side of the street, sitting at a bench. He had blonde hair spiked up at the front. He noticed me watching and smirked, raising a hand and waving. I shook my head and slide out of my seat.

"Where're you going?" Kacia called as I walked to the door.

"I'll be back," I said over my shoulder , pushing the door open, a bell ringing as it opened. I strode across the street towards him. I stood in front of him, my arms crossed. He looked up at me, waiting for me to speak.

"Why are you following us?" I demanded.

"I heard you guys were looking for the boat Rain is on," He replied calmly. The burger places bell rang again then Nico was standing next to me.

"What do you want?" Nico asked. The guy looked at Nico briefly then stood.

"I know where Rain is," He said. I raised an eyebrow. I didn't think he was lying, but Nico appeared unconvinced.

"How do you know her?" Nico asked, his hand slipping into his pocket. I glanced over at him. Was he going to attack? The guy appeared somewhat reluctant to say how he knew Rain.

"I'm her brother," He finally said. This surprised me.

"Then why the hell aren't you with her?" I demanded, my fists clenching. Mixed emotions showed on the guys face.

"It's a long story," He said, trying to calm himself, "Do you want to find her or not?" I could tell Nico was still somewhat reluctant, but nodded.

"Fine." The guy told us to meet him at the entrance to Buckleberry park in an hour. It was only after he left that I realized that he never said who he was.

"You sure about this?" I asked, looking over at Nico.

"No, but he's our only lead," He replied, walking back to Kacia and Jack. Once I sat back down, I couldn't even start on my food before Kacia was asking us questions.

"Who was that guy?" She asked, her eyes said that she was expecting a fight.

"Relax," Nico told her, "he's gonna help us get to Rain." She raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" I nodded, sticking a fry in my mouth.

"How does he know Rain?" Jack asked, twiddling his thumbs.

"He's her brother," I said, sticking a fry in my mouth. This surprised them both.

"Are you serious?" Kacia asked. I could tell she was thinking the same thing I did. Why wasn't he with her now? Nico nodded.

"We're going to meet him at a park," He said. Kacia nodded and started on her burger. Once we were finished eating, we headed towards Buckleberry park. By now, it was late afternoon. Leaves blew around in flurries of oranges, reds and gold's. After walking a couple blocks, we reached the park. A sidewalk weaved through the green field, an occasional tree here and there. Their branches were bare, the leaves scattered everywhere. An iron arch way stood at the entrance, Buckleberry Park engraved onto it. Sure enough, sitting at a bench was Rain's brother. He had changed into black cargo pants and a loose grey T-shirt. A knife was strapped to his belt. Next to the blade was a medium sized, metal, black rectangular case with a small button on the side. (**A/N: By 'case' I don't mean like a huge case, like a suit case or something. I mean like a eye-glasses case, or something like that, but not that small. Sorry if that's confusing). ** He also had a case of arrows slung across his back. Which, was kinda weird because he wasn't carrying a bow. He looked up as we approached. Kacia grabbed Nico's arm, stopping him. I gave her a questioning look. Did she not want this guys help?

"Are you absolutely positive we can trust this guy?" She asked.

"No but he's our only lead, Kacia," Nico replied, "Do you have a better idea?" She shook her head and started towards Rains' brother again. She was obviously expecting the worse. I still would like to know why he wasn't with Rain now though. How he just leave her on her own like that? Honestly, what brother does that?

"Alright, what's your name?" Kacia asked, crossing her arms over her chest and starring at him. She fingered her bracelet that changed into her two swords. He returned the stare.

"Christian," He replied, "And you are…?"

"Kacia," She said, "And that's Nico, Naruto and Jack." He nodded.

"Who's your godly parent?" Jack asked slowly, almost cautiously. Christian looked at him.

"Zeus." Nico raised his eyebrows and Jack just nodded.  
>"Your Dads the leader of the gods?" I asked, slightly skeptical.<p>

"Yeah," Christian replied, as if daring me to test him, "But, you're not a demigod, are you?" The way he said it wasn't really a question, it was more like a statement.

"No, I'm not," I said, crossing my arms, "You wanna test me and see?" Kacia flicked my shoulder, harder than needed. I flashed her a look, my hand automatically going to my shoulder.

"Shut up, idiot!" She growled, glaring at me, then turned back to Christian, "Naruto is a ninja from another world. Have you heard about the halo-graphic images?" He nodded.

"Yeah, I've seen a few." I looked up from inspecting my shoulder.

"What'd they look like?" I asked. Christian shrugged.

"I don't remember. One had long blonde hair and wore a grey shirt with a green robe over it and blue-ish pants. She wore these wooden sandal-like shoes. She seemed like she had a short temper." A million thoughts ran through my head, but I only voiced one.

"Was she hurt?" I asked urgently.

"No, not that I could tell."

"Do you know her?" Jack asked, peering at me.

"Yeah…." I said absentmindedly. I honestly wanted to punch something right then. Why was I here? Was there a purpose to me being transported? My friends were being attacked and I'm here searching for a half-blood when I should be helping my village. Or at least doing something here to try and fix it whatever's happening. The village could be destroyed (again) by enemy ninja for all I knew. Or something else along those lines. So, why _the_ _hell _was I here? I clenched my fists. Damn-it, I felt so helpless.

"Naruto!" I blinked to see Kacia snapping her fingers in my face.

"What?" I muttered, looking at her.

" I said, who is she? The person Christian saw?" Kacia repeated impatiently.

"The Hokage," I said quietly, not wanting to talk about it.

"The Hokage?" Christian repeated, a confused look on his face.

"The leader of the village," Nico explained. I looked up at the sky, looking for the inky, black substance, or whatever you want to call it. Sure enough, it was there, in the distance. It looked like boiling water: bubbling and waiting to spill over.  
>"So, you know where Rain is?" Kacia asked, looking at Christian. He nodded.<p>

"We know she's on a boat with at least two half-bloods," She continued, "But, do you know where they're going?"

"Yeah," He said, with the slightest hesitation. Both Kacia and Nico noticed the hesitation, but didn't say anything about it. I knew it would come up sooner or later though.

"But, its kinda far…." Christian continued.

"Where is it?" Nico asked.

"Fort Pierce Port."

"They probably aren't there yet," Jack pointed out.

"That's fine," Kacia said, "It'll give us some time to figure things out."

"Can one of you shadow-travel?" Christian asked. Kacia nodded to Nico, who raised his hand. So, we all gathered around Nico and shadow-traveled to Fort Pierce.

We crash landed by the port, landing in an open field close by. In front of us was the port, beyond it was the ocean and of course the dock with all the boats. I moaned and rolled onto my back. I swear, by the time we're done with this mission, I'm going to have bruises all over my body. I sat up and looked around for the others. Kacia was lying nearby, rubbing the shoulder by her cut. The rip in her shirt was a little larger, probably from the fall. She stood and picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Christian and Nico were standing a little ways off. Jack walked towards them, mumbling something under his breath. I followed, Kacia behind me. We headed towards the port, figuring that they'd have to have some information on the Scarlet Flower since it was going to stay here. We waited outside while Kacia went inside. A few minutes later and she walked out, a satisfied look on her face.

"What'd they say?" I asked, looking at her.

"He said that the boats scheduled to dock around nine," She said.

"Ok, so what do we do until then?"

"There's probably a Inn around here somewhere," Christian said, looking towards the city. We all agreed and walked around the city until we found a Inn. After paying, we headed up the elevator and to our room. Once there, we basically watched TV to kill time. Nico helped Kacia change the bandage on her cut in the bathroom. Jack took a nap on one of the couches. I don't know how he was able to sleep. I was wide awake.

Soon, it was close to nine. We left out bags at the room, only taking our weapons. We hadn't been able to figure out a set plan, since it was hard to predict exactly what would happen. What we did figure out though was this: Nico would do his shadow thing and make us invisible so we could get on the boat, then Christian would cause some sort of distraction to lure the two half-bloods out so it would be easier to sneak up on them. While me and Kacia keep the half-bloods occupied, Christian and Nico will go look for Rain. Then once Rain was found, we would take her back to Camp Half-Blood. All without dying. We walked through the city towards Fort Pierce, the full moon disappearing and reappearing behind clouds. As we drew closer to the port, Nico signaled for us to be as quiet as possible. A few seconds later and it seemed like the night got darker. This must be Nico's shadow thing. We reached the dock and scanned all the boats for the Scarlet Flower. Jack spotted it at the very end of the long row of boats. We started towards it then crouched behind a stack of boxes, probably cargo for the boats in the morning. Kacia nodded to Christian to cause the distraction. He nodded and grabbed the metal cause from his belt. He pressed the button on the side and it unfolded into a bow. It looked heavy but the way he held it, it was obviously pretty light. I'll admit, that was pretty impressive. He reached over his shoulder and grabbed an arrow then inspected it, as if checking that it was the right one. Satisfied, he knocked it to the bow-string. Peering over the boxes, he drew the string back and fired.

The arrow whistled through the air and lodged itself in the railing on the far side of the boat. Now, I really don't see how shooting an arrow would cause the distraction we were looking for. But, then the arrow exploded. Not a grenade type of explosion, just a small one. But, it was still loud and set the railing on fire. We all ran to the boat, as quietly as possible, and climbed over the railing and onto the deck. Two people emerged from below deck and put the fire from the explosion out. One of them was the guy that attacked me during capture the flag. Go figure. The other was Brianna, at least I'm assuming it was. Nico and Christian slipped past and went below deck. As Nico disappeared from view, so did his shadow thing and we became visible. I climbed the mast and stood on the bar that held up the sail. Brianna looked up at me.

"Are you gonna stay up there all night, Intruder?" She asked, a mocking tone in her voice. I smirked and formed a T with my fingers.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Twenty-plus clones appeared and swarmed her. She didn't appear as surprised as the other half-bloods I've encountered, she just drew her sword and began hacking at them. I weaved through the clones until I was behind her. I slashed at her with a kunai and she whirled around, our weapons ringing at the impact. I quickly kicked her in the gut and she stumbled backwards. Brianna glared at me and lunged forward only to be blocked by more clones. I jumped back to the mast and looked over at Kacia. She and whoever the guy was appeared to be evenly matched, even if she had two swords. I turned back to Brianna. Holding out my hand, I focused my chakra into a swirling ball. A few seconds later Rasengan appeared and I leapt off the mast towards her. She jumped to the side, but the blast clipped her and she flew backwards, slamming into the railing. She shook her head, dazed, and I threw shruikan at her. She just barely managed to parry them with her sword. I jumped into the air, whirled, and aimed a kick at her neck. She stepped to the side and arced her sword up towards me, catching my thigh. I landed and winced as pain shot through my leg. I felt hot blood run down but I didn't have time to check the wound.

Brianna charged me and slashed at my face. I ducked but didn't have time to retaliate, she was too fast. I evaded all her attacks then drew my arm back and stepped forward. My leg spasm with pain and I hurtled forward to the ground. Brianna raised her sword but I knocked her feet out from under her. I rolled so I was on top of her and punched her across the face until her lip and nose were bleeding. I drew my arm back, intending to punch her again, but she grabbed my fist and rolled to the side so she was straddling me. She drew a knife with her free hand and slashed me across the forehead. The cut burned and blood dripped into my eye, obscuring my vision. I kicked her off and crouched, wiping the blood away, which didn't do much good. It just dripped back down again. I stood and we once against began exchanging blows. My leg gave me problems and my I kept having to risk getting hit to wipe the blood out of my eye. I drew a kunai and lunged forward, trying to get behind her guard. Finally, I managed to slip through and slashed her across her side. She grimaced but recovered quickly. She hacked at me with her sword and knife, forcing me to back up to avoid being hit. Soon, my back pressed against the door leading to below deck and the bed chambers. I ducked her sword and blocked her knife with my kunai. Then, before I could retaliate, she thrust her sword into my side, just beneath my ribcage. Most of the blade was inside my body, only a few inches of the blade and the hilt was still visible. I cried out and doubled over as she pulled the blade out. I fell to my knees, my hand pressed against the wound. Blood spilled out between my fingers and dripped onto the deck. Vaguely, in the back of my mind, I wondered where Nico and Christian were with Rain.

"I kinda thought that you would put of more of a fight," Brianna said, her hand stretching out towards me. I grabbed her wrist and looked up at her.

"Your friend said something similar," I said, blood running down the sides of my mouth. I shoved her and she stumbled backwards. I formed a T with my fingers and fifteen-ish clones appeared. They all swarmed her and I joined them, blending in. I appeared next to Brianna and kicked her side with my knee, sending her flying towards a few clones waiting for her. For a second, she wasn't visible. Then, slowly clones started disappearing. I was about to join them, when there was a explosion. I whirled around to see Kacia hit the railing of the boat and fall into the ocean. The railing where she had broke through was on fire.

"Kacia!" I yelled, running forward. I felt the Nine Tail's chakra pulse and I gasped, clutching my head. I stumbled and fell to my knees as the ground rocked beneath me. The Nine Tail's fought for control and I moaned in pain. I tried fighting it off, but in the state I was in, I was too weak. The demons chakra pulsed once more and I felt my will stripped from me as it took over my body.

**.::**_Kacia's POV_**::.**

I sank through the water, the only thing registering in my mind was pain. I forced my eyes to open and I saw a warped version of the burning railing of the Scarlet Flower. I remember Naruto calling my name before hitting the water. I wonder if he was alright, I heard him cry out in pain, but didn't have time to see if he was ok. I kicked my feet and moved my arms, propelling my body upward. I broke the surface and gasped, wiping my hair out of my face. I was maybe thirteen feet away from the ship, but that wasn't really the problem. The railing of the boat was at least fifteen feet above the surface of the ocean. Fifteen feet I can't climb. A feral roar caught my attention and I looked up at the boat. My eyes widened at the sight. There was Naruto, except it didn't look like Naruto. His body was outlined in this orange stuff and he had three tails. He was going on a rampage, attacking everything in sight. Other parts of the railing were broken off and floating in the water. Then I remembered what he had said when we had first met.

"_The orange stuff is chakra," He said, "But, not mine. It's a demon's chakra." _

My eyes widened. Had the Nine Tail's taken over Naruto's body? I had to get back up there. Since I couldn't climb, I started swimming towards the dock. It took a while, and was very painful, since I had burned my left hand and a good deal of my forearm. But, I reached the dock and managed to pull myself up onto it, ignoring the searing pain in my arm. By the dock there was a street lamp and by its light I examined my arm. I couldn't feel my hand, which I knew was bad. My wrist and forearm though, I could feel. And it hurt like hell. Most of the skin was burned off. I could see the hair follicles, as a testament as to how much skin was missing. All in all, it was probably a third degree burn.

"Kacia!" I turned towards the voice and saw Nico leaning over the railing of the boat a few feet away. I stood and jogged over and looked up at him.

"Are you ok?" He asked, "I heard an explosion."

"Mostly," I told him, "I burned my arm pretty bad. But, are you guys ok? Where's Rain?" Before he could respond, Naruto growled quickly followed by a loud smash. The whole boat rocked wildly and Nico was thrown to the deck. He stood slowly and glanced over his shoulder, then held out his hand.

"Here, take my hand." I reached up and took it, and he helped me onto the boat.

"Where's Rain and Christian?" I asked, looking around. I loud crackling sound followed by lightning arcing across the boat towards Naruto, answered my question.

"That demon took over his body," Nico said, watching. I could tell he was just as shaken as I was.

"We have to stop him," I said, starting towards the blonde idiot gone demon. Nico grabbed my uninjured arm and pulled my back. I flashed him a look and pulled at my arm.

"Let me go," I said fiercely.

"Think, Kacia," Nico said, not releasing my arm, "We can't just attack him and hope he comes back, we'll just end up getting hurt." I saw the sense in his words, but the fact that Naruto lost control like that scared me. More than I would have liked to admit. I turned and watched Naruto and for the first time, I saw the girl we were looking for. She was just as Jack had described her. Short, messy blonde hair and she had a red back pack slung across her back. She was edging past Naruto, careful not to let the swirling tails hit her. Then there was a loud noise on the other side of the boat. I couldn't see what had caused it, but it got Naruto's attention and he started towards it. That obviously alarmed Rain because she started waving her hands and yelling. The idiot girl. Naruto looked at her over his shoulder. His eyes were no longer bright blue, but a deep orange. He bared his teeth and growled low in his throat. Rain reached into her back pack and took out what looked like a knife and threw it at Naruto. One of the three tails knocked it aside and it splashed into the ocean. Just like that, Naruto was gone. He reappeared behind Rain, one clawed hand/paw raised in the air. I immediately focused in on my powers and slowed time as much as I could. As the hand/paw descended—slower this time—I ran forward and tackled Rain. I released time and the paw came down inches away from my body.

We hit the ground and Naruto, furious, lunged at us. We both scrambled to our feet and ran in the direction the noise had come from. I glanced back to see if could spot Nico, but he wasn't where I had left him. Ahead, I saw why Rain had wanted to get Naruto's attention. Christian and Nico were crouched by Jack. The satyr's jeans were torn, revealing his furry legs beneath. One leg was twisted in a unnatural position. His shirt was also torn and he had gashes running along his torso and back. The side of his head was covered in blood. The only sign that he was alive was the very shallow breathing.

"Is he ok?" I asked slowly. Nico gave me a hard look. Ok, dumb question. I looked around and realized that Naruto wasn't anywhere in sight. That worried me tremendously. Had he seen a person walking by and attacked them?

"We need to get him to a hospital," Rain said, speaking for the first time.

"A hospital won't help any," Nico said, his voice taking on the usual commanding tone when someone was severely injured.

"I have some nectar," I said, "but it's in my bag at the hotel."

"If we can get there without being noticed," Christian muttered. He didn't need to say who he was referring to. I realized that there was no sign of Max or Brianna. They probably left when Naruto went berserk.

"The hotel's our only safe bet," Nico said, "But, we'll need more medical supplies. The stuff we have isn't enough."

"Where are we supposed to get medical supplies?" Christian asked.

"There has to be pharmacy around here somewhere," Nico replied, shooting him a look. Somewhere in the city, there was a loud roar following by people screaming. We all tensed. We had to hurry or Naruto was going to hurt innocent people. Christian picked up Jack bridal style and we left the boat.

We jogged through the city, back towards our hotel. Naruto had left a line of destruction so we knew pretty much where he was. Cars were flipped over with dents in the hoods, store windows were shattered. The worst though were the bodies. It was sickening to think that there was a creature like this that existed. A creature that had such a thirst for blood. A block or two away from our hotel, we spotted a pharmacy. The lights were still on but it didn't look like anyone was there. That wasn't surprising, it was pretty late.

"You guys go on to the hotel," Nico said, "I'll get some supplies and catch up later."

"I'll go with you," I said, not wanting to leave him on his own. He had his own ideas though.

"Kacia, stay with Christian. It'll be safer." I glared.

"And what about you? _I'm going with you." _

Nico sighed and made an irritated sound, but didn't argue. Christian and his sister continued to the hotel while me and Nico entered the pharmacy. Medical supplies, birthday cards, and a few grocery items littered the shelves. The medical supplies we were looking for though were in the back. Nico grabbed some alcohol, I'm assuming to clean the wounds with, multiple packets of gauze and some stuff to treat burns with. Then he went to a different isle and grabbed a cane. He broke the curved handle off so that it was just a long piece of wood. I'm guessing he was going to make a home-made brace for Jack's broken leg. As we started to leave, Naruto appeared on the other side of the street.

A fourth tail had appeared, which I'm positive was a bad sign. I dreaded what would happen though if it reached nine. He was preoccupied with something, I couldn't tell what. Then something caught his attention. He turned his head and I followed his gaze to a little kid crying. His mother was lying on the ground, I'm assuming she was dead. Nico saw it to and he quickly put all our supplies in a plastic bag. He signaled for me to stay put and then made his way quietly over to the kid, remaining out of Naruto's sight. When Nico was within jumping distance of the little kid, Naruto roared and lunged forward, his clawed paw drawn back. Nico lunged for the kid and then became invisible to me. The fact that he could no longer see Nico or the little boy seemed to confuse Naruto. Then there was a loud gunshot and I turned to see who had been idiotic enough to fire a gun. It was a cop, of course. I don't know what he thought Naruto was, but apparently, he figured he could kill it.

Naruto turned and ran at the cop, moving on all fours like an animal. Cursing, I bolted in the direction of the cop. I tried using my powers, but my body was to weak. Naruto was much faster than I was and reached the cop before I did. The cop kept firing his gun, although whether or not the bullets harmed Naruto I didn't know. If anything, they irritated him. Naruto pinned the cop down and began punching him to death.

I ran towards Naruto, hoping that in some crazy, desperate way, I could stop him. Before I could reach him, one of the tails smacked me and I went flying. I hit the concrete hard and my vision swam. I vaguely heard Nico calling my name. I opened my eyes and looked at my wrist to see if my swords had returned from there fall in the ocean. Thankfully, they had and I pressed the jewel and they appeared in my hands. I sat up in a crouch.

"Watch out!" I heard Nico yell. I looked up and saw Naruto's paw/hand coming towards me. On instinct, I raised my swords and formed an X with them. The two met and I fell onto my back and skidded, making a crater. I stood, my arms hurting from force of the impact. I stared at Naruto, who was crouched, teeth bared and tails swirling behind him, watching me. I glared at him, suddenly mad that this demon had taken Naruto. Sure, he was an idiot, but he meant well. I wasn't about to let this thing have him. Naruto lunged and disappeared. I anticipated where he would appear and turned around, swords raised. Sure enough, he appeared, paw raised. This time, I ignored common sense and slowed time. I moved to the side, out of the way of the paw, and slashed his wrist. Blood seeped out and Naruto roared, whether out of pain or anger I don't know. I'm assuming the later. He growled and crouched then tackled me. We rolled on the ground for a few feet then he pinned me beneath his paw. He raised his paw and formed a fist then punched me. I immediately tasted blood in my mouth.

I saw Nico out of the corner of my eye then blood splattered the concrete next to me. Naruto froze, then slowly looked over his shoulder at Nico. Death Boy stood there, sword in hand. Naruto moved off of me and ran at Nico. I managed to slow time at least a little, to help Nico out. Nico side-stepped Naruto and managed to slash his upper arm. Then Naruto whirled and slashed Nico's arm, sending him flying from the force. Nico hit the ground with a sickening crack. I was sure he had broken something. I started to stand and go over to him, but before I could Naruto was on top of him. I couldn't tell what was happening, since Naruto obscured my view. After a few minutes, Nico's sword skittered across the concrete. Then blood splattered across the ground and Nico cried out.

"Naruto, stop it!" I yelled, my voice cracking. He froze then and stayed like that for a few, agonizing seconds. Then he screamed, clutching his head. He backed away from Nico and shook his head, as if trying to rid it of something. Then the orange chakra began to recede and Naruto—just normal Naruto—collapsed onto his side. Relief flooded me and my swords turned back into a bracelet. I strode over to Nico and knelt next to him. His jeans were torn above his left knee, where there was a deep gash.

"Nico…?" I asked quietly, afraid he wouldn't answer. Then he coughed and sat up.

"It's about freaking time," He muttered, his eyes on Naruto's unconscious body. I smiled and helped him up. He didn't put his full wait on his left leg, but at least he could stand on his own. He grabbed his sword, which had turned back into a pocket knife, and slipped it into his pocket. Each of us took one of Naruto's arms and we carried him between us. We made our way down the street and I picked up our bag of medical supplies along with the broken cane. Soon, we reached out hotel and walked into the lobby. The man at the desk gave us a concerned look but didn't off any help. We went to the elevator and pressed the button to our floor then entered our room. This time, we had three different beds and a futon. Christian and Rain hurried over to us, Christian taking Naruto and setting him on one of the beds. I looked at Jack lying on the futon. They had taken his jeans off entirely, which only worsened the sight of his broken leg. Blood matted the fur on his legs. Pieces of torn sheets were tied to his chest and head to stanch the bleeding. Nico sat on the bed next to Naruto's. He rolled up his jeans as best he could, to get a better view at the gash.

"Can I see the gauze?" He asked, looking at me. I took out one of the many packets of gauze and handed it to him, along with the alcohol. He dampened the gauze with some alcohol then tied it tightly over the gash. He then moved to Jack. If Nico was injured elsewhere he didn't say. He took Jack's shirt off then set to cleaning the gashes across his chest and back then wrapping his whole upper body in gauze. He reset Jack's broken leg then took the cane and tied it parallel to the broken leg, to keep it in place until we can get professional help. I took the burn cream stuff that we had taken and rubbed it on my forearm and hand, gritting my teeth against the pain. Afterwards, I wrapped it in gauze even though it hurt like hell to do so. I then walked over to Naruto. His jacket was soaked and his forehead and dried blood crusted to it. His hair also had blood in it. I unzipped the jacket then, with Rain's help, took his black T-shirt off. Under his right ribcage was a deep puncture wound. Sighing, I took the alcohol and a wash rag from the bathroom. Dampening the wash rag, I dabbed the puncture would gently, even though he was unconscious. Once I was satisfied it was fairly clean, I wrapped his torso in gauze. Then I turned my attention to the cut on his thigh, which I did the exact same thing to. For his forehead I just washed the blood away then wrapped it in gauze.

Once everyone was tended to, we all crashed. Well, everyone but me. I wanted to go find Max and Brianna. I know, I know, stupid idea. But, I wanted to see them suffer like they had made me suffer. So, once I was positive everyone was fully asleep, I left. I didn't take my duffel bag with me since I wouldn't need it and it would only way me down. I knew Nico would probably be pissed, Naruto to for that matter. But, we had Rain, so our mission was complete. I had a general idea of where Max and Brianna would have gone. There was place in Florida that we would always camp whenever we were in the state. It was attached to Buckleberry Park but wasn't a part of it. So, traveled across the city to the park. I walked through the park until I could see the beginnings of a forest in the distance. I stopped by a tree and leaned against the trunk. Thinking over my time with Max and Brianna, a song slowly came to my mind.

"I am the waiting one it seems, days grow somber quickly. Now how the quite is release, and I feel so lonely. How did you think I would feel? You throw me aside again. How did you think I would feel? I won't let you hurt me again. Now, I'm nothing to you I can see, just walk away from me. I'm torn apart I can't believe, you'd stand watch me bleed."  Without really meaning to, I slowly fell asleep. My last thought was Max's cruel smile in my dream as he killed my Mother.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So here it is! The seventh chapter! I know, I took a little while getting it up. But, I hope you guys liked it because I stayed up until 2:15 AM j****ust to finish it for you guys. Anyways, please review. *****NOTE: Thanks to the new feature, i am working on a cover page for this story. But, i'm having some touble coming up with one. So, if you guys have any ideas, tell them to me! :D I'd be happy to use them.***** **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Naruto Shippuden, the book series Percy Jackson nor the song by All That Remains. They belong to their rightful owners. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey hey hey! So, we are finally at the more interesting point of the story! :DDD Yay! to those who reviewed, you guys are soooo freaking awesome :D Anyways, onto the story!**

**.::**_Chapter 8—Trying Not To Love You_**::.**

**.::**_Naruto's POV_**::.**

I moaned and opened my eyes. My vision was blurry but it slowly cleared. The worst though was my head. It felt like I had been hit with a brick over and over. I looked down and realized that I wasn't wearing a shirt. My abdomen was wrapped tightly in gauze, a spot of blood darkening the fabric where Brianna had stabbed me. My pants had been rolled up to my thigh on one leg, revealing my bandaged cut. I felt my head and my fingers connected with a bandage there to. I unwrapped the bandage since it probably wasn't bleeding anymore. I looked around and saw Jack lying on the futon. He was no longer wearing jeans, or clothes for that matter. His whole upper body was covered in bandages, spots of blood darkening the white fabric. A cane was tied to one of his legs as a make-shift brace. His head was also wrapped up, the bandage covered in blood. I thought back to my fight with Brianna, trying to remember how Jack could have gotten so injured. I don't remember ever seeing him though. The last thing I remembered was Kacia falling into the ocean and then her yelling at me to stop. But, stop what?

"Your finally awake." I turned towards the voice and saw a girl standing in the doorway, Christian behind her. I realized that that was Rain. So they were able to find her.

"You want some breakfast?" She held up a to-go bag from I-Hop. I had never heard of the place but it smelled good so it didn't matter.

"Sure," I said, sitting up then immediately wincing as my side protested. Concern flashed across her face and she approached me, handing me the bag then peering at my side.

"Do you think we need to change the bandage?" She asked, directing the question at Christian. He looked up from examining Jack.

"No," He said after a few seconds, "We need to save as much of the supplies as we can."

"To bad we don't have any pain pills," Rain mumbled, moving away to sit on the opposite bed. I went through the to-go boxes inside the bag to see what there was. It was mainly sausage, biscuits, bacon and other stuff like that. It wasn't the usual breakfast I would have, but I didn't care, I was starving. While I ate, I noticed that we were the only ones in the room. Nico and Kacia weren't here.

"Where are Nico and Kacia?" I asked, looking from Rain to Christian. Their faces grew worried and I frowned.

"Kacia's missing," Christian said, "We've been looking for her for hours but we haven't found anything. Since she left her bag here we figured she would come back for it, but she hasn't. Nico's out searching for her, he'll be back soon." I was so surprised that I quite eating and just stared at him. Kacia was freaking _missing. _ I wonder if she had gone out searching for Brianna that the guy she was with. From the way she had reacted to finding out that they were the ones that took Rain suggested that she knew them. The door opened and closed then Nico walked in. He was obviously worried. Christian looked at him expectantly, but he just shook his head. I noticed how he had a bandage on his upper left arm, partially hidden by his sleeve.

"She's not here," He said, "I looked everywhere I could think of, but she's just not here."

"Nico," I said softly, but loud enough for him to hear me, "Does she know those to half-bloods?" I lifted my eyes to look at him, and he stared back. He looked hesitant, but it was obvious he knew the answer.

"Does she or does she not, Nico?" Christian asked roughly, "We need to know. It might help us find her." Finally, he nodded.

"Yeah," He said slowly, "She knows them. They found her when she was little and took care of her. After a while, they tried to kill her." So she wanted revenge. I couldn't help thinking of Sasuke and how he wanted to kill his brother. I knew what it felt like to want to kill someone. But, did she think she could kill them both on her own? I shook my head, clenching my fist, my knuckles turning white.

"Who are they?" I asked, "The girls Brianna but who's the guy?"

"Max," Nico replied. Rain seemed shocked that they would try to kill Kacia after taking care of her like that.

"Ok, so do you know of any place they would have gone?" Christian asked, "Maybe we can beat Kacia there." Nico shook his head.

"She probably does, but I have no clue. Either way, we can't go with Jack in the condition he's in. We should take him back to Camp Half-Blood." Rain made a confused face at the mention of the camp. Christian seemed to know what it was. Nico explained it briefly then we packed our stuff. I grabbed Kacia's bag then we shadow-traveled back to Camp Half-Blood.

We landed on top of the hill with the tree that had the Dragon curled around it. I landed on my injured leg and grimaced. I stood, favoring the leg, and picked up Kacia's bag. We headed down the hill and I went towards the cabin to put her bag back. Nico and Christian took Jack towards the infirmary, Percy intercepting him. Probably to ask what happened. I started up the steps leading to the cabin then noticed that I was being followed. Rain stopped when I stopped and looked at me questioningly.

"Uh…why aren't you with your brother?" I asked uncertainly. She shrugged.

"He won't worry. Besides, I've never met someone from another world before." I didn't really know what to say, so I just continued up the steps and into the cabin. Rain followed and leaned against the doorway. I set Kacia's bag down on the bed she usually slept in. I thought about unpacking it, but decided that would be weird. Besides, I didn't know where all her clothes went.

"What happened?" Rain asked slowly. I looked up, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Last night," She said, "You attacked everyone." I sat up, starring at her.

"Wait….I did that to Jack?" I asked, afraid of the answer. She nodded.

"Yeah….. you don't remember?" She tilted her head sideways slightly. So, _that's _what happened.

"Was anyone else hurt?"

"Kacia and Nico were beat up, but nothing serious." I immediately felt guilty. I took a few steps back. My back hit one of the bed posts and I slide to the ground. I rested my elbows on my knees, my forehead between them. Jack could have been killed—hell, everyone could have been killed—because I wasn't able to control the Nine-Tails. Most people thought that having this much power was a good thing. They even liked having this much power. Me? I _hated_ it. What's the point of having this power if I'm just going to hurt the people closest to me? Pervy Sage was hurt during training, Sakura could have been killed when we went searching for Orochimaru, and I could have killed thousands when Pain attacked the village. So, yes, I hated having this power. And until I can control it, it will stay that way. But, I _will _learn how to control it. No matter what it takes. I clenched my right fist and slammed it against the headboard.

"Damn it," I muttered. Rain walked over and squatted next to me.

"I don't know what happened," She said, "But, I know it's not your fault." I turned my head to look at her and she smiled.

"I wish I could believe that," I said quietly, my hand unconsciously going to where the Nine-Tails seal was on my abdomen. She frowned and shifted so she was sitting cross-legged.

"Can you explain it to me?" Rain asked, glancing at my hand then back up to my face.

"It's a demon," I said simply. She raised an eyebrow.

"So there's a demon inside of you?" I nodded.

"Yeah. My world has demons, there power ranging from one to nine—nine being the strongest. When I was a baby, my father sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of me so it wouldn't destroy my village. It usually only takes over whenever I'm weakened from a fight or angry—or both." Rain was silent for a moment.

"So, the demon took over your body last night because you were weakened from fighting Brianna?" She asked uncertainly. I thought back to last night. What she said was probably the reason, but I couldn't help but thinking that Kacia being knocked over the side of the boat also triggered it.

"Probably, it might also had something to do with Kacia," I said.

"Are you two close?" Rain asked, looking at me. I made face. That was a hard question.

"Well…I've only been here for a month or so.….But, I guess we are..…kinda," I said slowly, feeling my face flush at her starring at me, "I mean we're not like _super _close but you know—" Rain interrupted me by giggling.

"You like her don't you?" She asked, smiling. Huh?

"What? No, no," I said, laughing nervously, "I don't _like _her, no." Did I? I frowned, thinking about it. Nah. Rain seemed to have other ideas. She leaned forward on the palms of her hands.

"Yeah you do," She said, obviously having fun making me uncomfortable. I shook my head, leaning away.

"No, I really don't…."

"Sure you do, you just won't admit it." This girl just wouldn't let it go.

"No, look, I don't feel that way about Kacia," I said firmly. She giggled again and stood, starting towards the door.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," She said, looking over her shoulder at me. I hung my head then got up and followed her out the door.

"Rain, you've got it all wrong! I don't—" I stopped mid-sentence, almost running into Nico, who was on the porch.

"Don't what?" He asked, looking at Rain who was at the bottom of the steps then back at me.

"Uh, nothing," I said, trying to think of an excuse, "We were just talking…." Nico raised an eyebrow, obviously suspecting something, but dropped it.

"Chiron wants to see you, Rain," He said, looking at Rain, "Christian's there to."

"Ok," she said, then ran off.

"He's at the Blue house!" He called after her. I looked at the bandage on his upper arm. Blood spotted the white fabric in some places. Nico shook his head then turned towards me.

"You should really go to get checked out at the infirmary," He said, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"I'm fine," I told him, "I heal fast." He gave me a doubtful look, but didn't argue.

"Besides," I added, "Doing that will only waste time that we need to find Kacia." He was silent for a few seconds then he said:

"I know of a way to contact her." I raised my eyebrows.

"You do? How?" I asked, feeling hopeful. He turned and walked down the steps—grabbing a water bottle sitting on the railing—and into the forest. I followed close behind, curious as to what he was going to do. Maybe finding Kacia would be easier than I thought. Then again, if she left without warning us, she probably didn't want to talk, let alone tell us where she was. Once we were away from other people, he stopped by a stream then rummaged around in his pocket. He took out a gold coin—probably one of those drachma things.

"What're you doing?" I asked, slightly confused.

"I'm making an offering to Isis," Nico explained, "She's the messenger of the gods. She can also let me talk to Kacia." He squirted the water in an arc into the stream then tossed in the coin. He muttered something under his breath then a hazy picture of Kacia appeared. From what I could tell, she was in a forest. She started when she saw us then frowned, crossing her arms.

"What do you two want?" She asked harshly.

"Well hello to you to," I muttered, but it's what I expected.

"Kacia, why are you doing this?" Nico asked, looking at her. I could tell he was worried, but also determined.

"Because I need to," She replied steadily.

"You don't need to do anything," Nico said, "This is dangerous Kacia." She opened her mouth to respond, but I beat her to it.

"It won't help you any," I said, locking my eyes with hers. She knew what I was talking about. I knew enough about revenge that no matter what you think, it won't help your pain at all. She was silent for a moment.

"I need to do this," She repeated, firmly.

"Kacia—" Nico started. She glared.

"You can't stop me, Nico," She said fiercely, "Don't come for me." With that, she slashed her hand through the image, disconnecting us.

"Now what?" I asked, looking at Nico.

"We have to find her," He said.

"You don't think she could kill both of them?"

"I don't know. But, in condition she's in, she'll just hurt herself." We both knew that there was the possibility that she could die. Neither of us wanted to say it though.

We headed back to the cabins to see Christian waiting for us. Rain was close by talking to a girl I didn't recognize.

"Any luck?" He asked as we approached. Nico must have told him about his idea for contacting Kacia.

"Kinda," Nico said, "She's in some forest, probably still in Florida."

"And," I added, "She doesn't want us to look for her." Christian raised an eyebrow, his facial expression obviously stating he thought that was ridiculous.

"Why?" I shrugged and shook my head.

"There's only one forest that I know of she would go to—and this is a total guess—but, it's in Buckleberry park," Nico said slowly. Rain quite talking to whoever she was with and walked over to us.

"So, when are we going to go look for Kacia?" She asked, looking from her brother to me and Nico.

"Soon," Nico said. Rain nodded. We all went to our separate cabins to pack what stuff we needed or just grab the bags we used when we went to find Rain. I went into Kacia's cabin to pack some stuff. I really didn't need much, but since I didn't know how long we were going to be gone, I decided to take some bedding and food. Afterwards, I didn't see Nico or Christina, so I headed to the Infirmary. Once there, I wondered the halls, searching for Jacks room. Finally, I just asked someone and soon found him. He was lying on a bed, some cords in his arms and an IV drip by his bed. His bandages had been changed and his broken leg was in a cast, elevated above the bed. Blood was no longer in his fur. He opened his eyes as I walked in. If he was wary of me, he didn't show it.

"Hey," Jack said, watching as I walked to the side of the bed. Guilt weighed down on me as I looked at him.

"I'm really sorry about what happened," I said.

"Its fine," He replied, looking up at me. I shook my head.

"No, it's not. I should have been able to control it."

"It's not your fault." What is it with everyone and telling me that? It was my fault. No need to lie to me to try and make me feel less guilty.

"Yes it is," I said, placing my palms on the side of the bed.

"Don't say that," Jack replied.

"But it's—" I started.

"Naruto," He said firmly, "It is not your fault. You didn't put that thing inside of you did you?" I frowned.

"Well no but I still have the responsibility of controlling it," I countered, watching him. He sighed.

"I suppose so," He said quietly. Then louder, he said, "Either way, I don't hold anything against you." I leaned back and sat in the chair that was beside the table.

"We're going to go look for Kacia back in Florida," I told him, "She went after Max and Brianna on her own. I don't know when we'll be back." He seemed a little surprised.

"I wish I could go with you guys," He said, "Be careful." He began twiddling his thumbs then.

"We will. And we'll bring her back, I promise."

"I know," He said, smiling. I grinned back at him then stood and left the room, letting him rest. I reached the cabins the same time Nico did, the same backpack he had a few days ago slung over one shoulder. A few seconds later, Rain appeared, Christian walking behind her. I wonder if Chiron knew what we were doing. Somehow, I doubted it. We stood in a small circle, and Nico closed his eyes and muttered under his breath, then we disappeared.

We landed in Buckleberry park. I winced as my head hit the ground hard. I sat up, waiting for my head to quite spinning. I looked towards the entrance and was slightly surprised to see the condition of the streets. The store windows were broken, glass littering the sidewalk. Hotel windows were also broken. The streets had multiple craters and a few cars were half in-half out of store windows. Others were just lying upside down on the road, wind-shields cracked. Many of the roads were blocked off, either by police cars, cones, barricades or detour signs. The police milled about, interrogating people or inspecting something or another. The medics were also there, helping the people that were still inside the upturned cars or tending to the wounded. The dead bodies were the worst though. I'm assuming most of them had been cleared out, but there were still some lying around. Their limbs twisted in unnatural angles. Both police and what medics weren't busy were putting them in the beds of trucks to be taken to a place where they could be discarded. I did all that. I don't know what I expected, but this certainly wasn't it.

"You're gonna have to be careful not to be noticed," Nico said behind me. I got to my feet and turned to look at him.

"Why?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Because the cops and probably the FBI are looking for you," He told me, "There questioning the survivors on what happened and what you look like." Just what I needed.

"Terrific," I muttered, eyeing the cops talking to the people. One was a little boy. From the looks of him he had been crying. He had a small cut on his forehead but other than that, he wasn't injured. The kid pointed to a body—a middle-aged woman—and said something to the cop. I realized that his mother had died. The cop took the kids hand and led him away to one of the police cars. He helped him into the backseat then walked around to the driver's side, starting up the car and driving away. I turned away, not wanting to look at the scene any longer.

We walked through the park, avoiding any cops or FBI agents that were in the wondering the park for any evidence. Soon, we reached the forest Nico had mentioned. We wondered through the forest, not really knowing where to go. I looked around for any signs that Kacia had been there, but didn't find any. I also didn't see any signs of Max and Brianna. Of course, they probably would have purposely disguised there trail. After a while, we stopped at a small river to rest.

"Hey, guys! Come look at this!" Rain called a little ways off. I stood from where I was sitting on a rock and followed the direction her voice had come from, Nico and Christian close behind. We reached a more open part of the forest. Rain was standing in the middle, kneeling on the ground inspecting something. The place was much like the one I had seen in Konoha before I had been transported. Blood and gold dust littered the ground, trees and plants. Deep gashes were in the trees. Kunai and shruikan were imbedded in the bark. Some branches were broken off, lying on the ground and others just scorched—evidence of paper bombs. There were knifes and swords with golden blades lying here and there on the ground. What the hell happened? It looked like there was a freaking showdown between, shinobi, demigods and some monsters.

"What happened?" Rain asked, standing. She looked taken aback at the damage. Like she hadn't expected it to be this bad.

"It looks like ninjas and demigods had a disagreement," Christian said, "And monsters just happened to join in." I left them to talk and wondered off in a different direction. I wanted to see how far the damage went. You'd think that with a fight like that there would be bodies. But, I didn't see any. The damage extended pretty far, but the farther I got from the main sight, it got less and less worse. It was mainly small splatters of blood, like someone had been bleeding while they were walking. There was a noise followed by a loud crack, like a tree getting split by lightning.

I jumped into a the trees and went in the direction of the noise. I stopped when I saw Rain fighting someone. Christian and Nico were close by, looking like they wanted to interfere but couldn't. Sure enough, one of the trees had been split by lightning. Lightning crackled around Rain's free hand, waiting to strike out at whoever she was fighting. I shifted my position to get a better look. I tensed when I saw Sai with his half-blade drawn, staring intently at her. Blood splattered his clothes so obviously he'd been in the fight from earlier. They lunged at each other. Sai was much fast than Rain, but he also stayed a safe distance, wary of the lightning. I cursed under my breathe and pushed off the branch I was on towards them. I landed in between them, ducking Sai's kick and blocking Rain's sword with a kunai. Rain was thoroughly surprised, but backed off. She remained tense though. Sai was emotionless as ever, but I knew him well enough to know that he was probably irritated that I had interfered.

"Stop it," I said, my voice hard. Then I turned to Sai, pointing at Rain and the others. "They are not the enemy."

"They are the ones attacking Konoha," He said, lowering his half-blade.

"I know," I told him, "But there just as clueless as we are. They don't know what's happening. They only attack because they don't know what else to do." Sai looked at Rain, Nico and Christian with a calculating look in his eyes. After a few tense seconds, he looked back at me.

"Sakura is worried about you," Sai said, slipping his half-blade in its holster strapped to his back.

"I know," I said. Sakura was always worried about me it seems.

"She's working overtime at the hospital," He continued, "What ninja aren't in the hospital are scattered among our allies. We aren't the only ones being…attacked." He flashed a look at Nico and everyone else.

"Hold on," Nico said, taking a step forward, "Who are you?"

"I am Sai," He replied, "I am part of the ANBU Black Ops in Konoha."

"He's on my team," I explained. Sai's form flickered and he began to fade.

"Tell Sakura that I'm fine and that I'll find a way to fix this," I said quickly before he disappeared entirely.

"Are you ok?" Christian asked, walking over to his sister. She nodded, her sword disappearing to somewhere on her body.

"So, that guy was on your team?" Nico asked, looking at me.

"Yeah," I said, "Along with Sakura and Kakashi-Sensei."

We started walking again, crossing the small river. It was growing dark, so we decided to look for a place to camp. We found a small clearing and decided to camp there. After eating, we laid out our bedding and tried to get some sleep. For whatever reason, I just couldn't get to sleep. Finally, I just rolled onto my back and starred up at the moon. I couldn't keep my mind off Kacia. Was she hurt? Was she glad she got her revenge? Was she even alive? I thought back to how she had acted on Valentine's day. Then I remembered her picture of her as a child with her Mother. Then it hit me. Her Mother had died on Valentine's Day. So, she had lived most of her life without parents then she met Max and Brianna. They took care of her, probably taught her how to use a sword. Then for whatever reason, tried to kill her. And now she wanted to pay them back for all that—to get revenge. That's probably why she kept pushing me away. She figured I would just leave her after I got what I wanted. I looked over at Nico asleep close by. I wonder how long it had taken him to earn all the trust she as in him. It was obvious they were close. I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes. I'd find Kacia and show her that none of us were going to just leave her like that.

**.::**_Kacia's POV_**::.**

I ducked under a low hanging branch as I trudged through the forest. It was dark and I knew I should get some sleep, but I just wasn't tired. Besides, if I was going to ambush Max and Brianna, night was probably the best time. It had been hard to give Nico and Naruto the cold shoulder. Especially the way they had looked at me. Nico just looked worried and determined, Naruto though, he _knew. _ The way he had looked at me after saying that this won't help me any. I knew without a doubt that they would come for me, even after it told them not to. Of course, Nico had always done that though. Always ignored what I told him. If I was in danger, he would always be there next to me, refusing to leave. They weren't that much different, him and Naruto. I paused to listen, to see if I could hear voices or any signs that there was people nearby.

I caught faint hints of voices in the distance and strained by ears. After a few seconds, I recognized Max and Brianna's voices. I started towards them, treading quietly. A few minutes later, I saw them standing among the trees, bushes encircling them. I crouched behind a tall bush and took out some shruikan I had taken from Naruto's pouch. I threw two, then ran silently to a different cover spot, threw some more, then ran to yet another cover spot. They dodged them, which is what I expected. But, they were startled and looked around for me.

I moved so I was behind Brianna, pressing the button on my bracelet. The two swords appeared and I lunged out, slashing at the back of her legs. She jumped away inches before the blades connected. I danced away as Max lashed out at me, his face contorted into a snarl. They both attacked me at the same time, perfectly in sync with each other. I blocked and dodged, trying to find an opening in their guard. Brianna slashed at my shoulder and I brought one of my swords up to block, using the other blade to parry Max's sword. They backed me up to a tree and Max placed his sword up to my throat, the cold blade lightly grazing my skin. He was standing so close I could feel his body heat.

"Your still weak, Kacia," He whispered, his mouth by my ear, "You always have been." I growled and smacked him across the face with the pommel of one of my swords. He took a step back then glared at me, his sword hissing through the air towards my face. I raised my sword to block the blade then used my other to cut open his side. He gritted his teeth and pressed his free hand against the wound. Brianna lunged forward, hacking at me with her sword. I dipped into time and gradually slowed it down. I blocked her sword, my eyes watching her every move.

I saw an opening and lunged forward, parrying her blade with one sword then thrusting the other forward, piercing her naval. She cried out and doubled over then I felt a searing pain in my right arm. I yelled and released my sword, hearing it thump against the ground. The bandage on my burned forearm fell away, the burn now bleeding both from the cut and being agitated. I heard Max chuckle behind me. Tears sprang to my eyes from the pain and I gripped the one sword I was still holding.

I stood and, with a yell, lashed out at Max. The second blade swung around on the chain, following the movements of the sword I was holding. I knew that was dangerous, since I could very well hurt myself. But I didn't care. Max danced away from my blade, a smile on his face. Anger and pain clouded my judgment, so my movements were sloppy. I hacked at Max, our swords ringing as they connected.

"Come on, Kacia," He taunted, "You can do better than that, can't you?" His eyes sparkled in the moonlight. I growled and lunged forward, slashing at his throat. He side-stepped and slashed at my side. I moved away and studied him, running through everything I knew about him, searching for anything I could use against him. When I thought of something, I struck at him, letting my anger fuel me. But, in my anger, I had forgotten about Brianna.

A stinging pain ran the length of my back and I screamed. I dropped my sword and fell to my knees. Hot blood ran down my back. I looked up at Max standing above me. My vision swam and he became blurry. Black dots danced in my eyes and I slowly rolled onto my side, curled in a ball. I heard Max and Brianna start to leave, but couldn't find the strength to follow. My eyelids began to droop and I fought to keep them open, but I was so tired. The thought of closing my eyes was too tempting. I let my eyelids close and my last thought was of Naruto and Nico.

**.::**_Naruto's POV_**::.**

I gasped and jolted awake, my heart pounding. A faint scream echoed from somewhere. I immediately recognized Kacia's voice. But thanks to the echo I couldn't gauge which direction it came from. Cursing under my breathe, I threw the thin blanket off and stood, grabbing my weapons pouch. Rain stirred and rubbed her eyes.  
>"Naruto?" She mumbled.<p>

"Stay here," I told her, strapping my pouch to my waist.

"Where are you going?" She asked, sitting up and frowning at me. I jumped into the trees and crouched on a branch, looking at her.

"Just stay here, ok?" Without waiting for an answer I pushed off, jumping from branch to branch. I hoped I was heading in the right direction. I scanned the ground for any sign of Kacia, but unfortunately didn't see anything. Finally, I stopped on a branch and began climbing up the trunk. Maybe if I had a high vantage point I could spot her. Or anything to lead me in the right direction. I climbed until the branches started thinning and bending beneath my weight. It was still dark so the only light I had was the moon, which was beginning to set. I scanned the forest to my right carefully, but didn't see anything. I turned and looked to my left. Forest stretched on and on then finally disappeared to open fields and a small lake.

"Where the hell are you Kacia," I muttered, growing more worried and agitated. I twisted around to look behind me and saw the river we had crossed earlier. But no Kacia. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Sighing, I climbed down then started jumping through the trees once more.

I was beginning to grow desperate, when I saw a shruikan imbedded in a tree. I frowned. I was nowhere near the place we had met Sai. I kept going and saw yet another shruikan. Then another. And another. I followed the trail and then stopped dead in my tracks. Kacia was lying on her side in a small pool of blood. Her two swords were lying close by, blood flecking the blades. I jumped down and jogged over, kneeling next to her. From her left shoulder to her right hip was a deep gash, bleeding profusely. Feeling my heart sink, I quickly unzipped my jacket and pressed it to her back. I tapped her face in an attempt to wake her but nothing happened. I felt her neck for a pulse but didn't feel anything. Panicking, I tried to think of something I could do. I quickly began doing CPR.

"Come on, Kacia," I said, pinching her nose and pressing my mouth against hers, breathing air into her then pushing my hands against her chest. I repeated that a couple times but she still didn't respond. I was beginning to think that I had lost her, then she began breathing again. But, she still didn't open her eyes. I didn't care though. **(A/N: Ok, I really don't know if Naruto actually knows how to do CPR, but just pretend). ** I sighed, relieved. A branch snapped somewhere and I tensed. I gathered Kacia in my arms, making sure my jacket stayed pressed against her back, then jumped into the trees.

The beam of a flashlight came on and scanned the forest. I heard a few shouts then rapid footsteps began following me. A gunshot sounded and a bullet whizzed by my shoulder. I looked over my shoulder and faintly saw four men. Gritting my teeth, I sped up my pace. Another bullet whizzed past me, narrowly missing my leg. I would have retaliated, but I didn't want to risk dropping Kacia. They continued to shoot at me and I dodged as best I could. I saw a guy crouched in a tree, partially hidden by leaves. He shot at me and before I could dodge, I felt the bullet hit my shin. I stumbled as I landed on a branch and began plummeting towards the ground.

I twisted and hit the ground on my back, Kacia on top of me. It knocked the air out of my lungs and for a second I couldn't breathe. Then I gasped and sat up. The four men had been joined by two others. Great. I swore and scrambled to my feet, picking up Kacia. I jumped back into the trees and continued from branch to branch, favoring my injured leg. We were nearing our campsite, and I didn't want to lead these guys to Nico and everyone else. So, I began looking for a place to put Kacia where everyone else could find her. I saw a spot shielded on three sides by big rocks and jumped down and gently set Kacia down, leaning her against the rocks. Silently praying she'd be safe, I jumped back into the trees towards the men.

I threw shruikan at them then drew a kunai. I dove at the guy in the front, slicing his throat as I went past him. I landed in a crouch on the ground. I stood and began knocking their guns out of their hands. I ducked as one slashed a knife at me, then kicked him in the chest. He hit the trunk of a tree with a crack. Another one stepped forward to take his place, slashing and kicking. I guess he knew some form of martial arts. I evaded his knife and blocked his kick then punched him in the face, his nose cracking. He stumbled back then attacked me again. I evaded his kicks and punches then felt a sharp pain in my neck. I winced and moved my hand to my neck. Then my vision swam and I stumbled to keep my balance. I began to fall backwards and felt someone grab my arms. I tried to fight him off but was to weak.

"Sir," I heard one of them say, "We have the target and we're heading back to base." I felt someone pick me up then everything went black.

**.::**_Nico's POV_**::.**

I felt someone shake my shoulder and moaned.

"Nico, wake up." I blinked open my eyes to Rain peering at me with a worried expression.

"What's up?" I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Naruto's missing." I sat up and looking around. Sure enough, he wasn't there. I swear if he ran off somewhere…..

"How long has he been gone?" I asked, looking at her. She shrugged.

"I woke up at night and he was putting his weapon pouch on like he was leaving," She said, "He told me to stay here then ran off." I hung my head and groaned. What is it with everyone running off without a warning? Is it so hard to let someone know your leaving for a little bit? Honestly? Christian walked into the camp and Rain looked at him expectantly, but he just shook his head.

"Where have you guys looked?" I asked. How were we supposed to find both Kacia and Naruto? If he ran off during the night absolutely anything could have happened. Especially with the cops and FBI searching for him.

"Well, I didn't go too far," Christian said, "But, I've tried everywhere except for in that direction." He pointed behind me and I nodded. We packed up our stuff and I carried Naruto's bag then headed off in direction Christian had pointed. We spread out, but stayed within shouting distance.

We didn't find Kacia or Naruto no matter where we looked. The only thing of worth we found was someone else's campsite. It looked to be abandoned only hours before, probably around the same time Naruto left, at least according to Rain. I didn't want to give up though, even though it felt seriously hopeless. I stopped at the top of a hill and looked up at the sky. The sun was high, so it was close to noon. I sighed and sat on the ground. I heard Rain and Christian walking somewhere nearby. I scanned the slope of the hill and noticed dark spots on the ground. That was weird. Frowning, I moved close and realized it was spots of blood. I followed them with my eyes to a group of rocks. I stood and half walked-half skidded down the hill then over to the rocks. I peered around the rock and my eyes widened. Kacia was leaned against the rocks, Naruto's jacket between her back and the rocks. She was _extremely_ pale and barely breathing. I could see her life-force fading, which worried me even more. Quickly , I walked around and knelt next to her. I leaned her forward, supporting her weight with one arm. Then I removed Naruto's jacket, which stuck slightly. Her shirt was ripped where there was a deep gash extending from her left shoulder to her right hip. Crap. Crap. Crap.

"Nico?" Rain called from somewhere.

"I'm over here!" I yelled, then leaned Kacia back against the rock.

"Kacia," I said, "Kacia can you hear me?" She moaned softly. But, that was better than nothing and I felt a little less worried. I heard a gasp and turned to see Rain standing a few feet away, one hand covering her mouth.

"Oh my God," She said, "What happened?" I honestly hadn't considered it. But, I'm guessing that she had found Max and Brianna. How Naruto knew to go look for her, is beyond me though. The good thing is that he found her and managed to bring her somewhat close to our camp so we could find her. The thing that mainly worried me though was why he wasn't with her. Something had to have happened because I highly doubted he would just leave her like that without having to.

"I dunno," I finally said, "She probably found Max and Brianna." I held up Naruto's jacket so she could see. The orange was a dark, almost black color from blood. Rain made a sobbing noise and took the jacket. Tears came to her eyes and I thought she was actually going to cry, but she didn't.

"Christian," She called, her voice cracking. Christian appeared on the hill and started down it.

"What hap—Holy crap," He said, starring at Kacia and Naruto's jacket. "Is she….?" He looked at me and I shook my head.

"No," I replied, rummaging around in my backpack. I had brought some alcohol and gauze pads, but this wound was way too large and deep for gauze pads alone. It really needed to be stitched. Finally, I came up with a roll of thin wire. I don't really remember putting it in there, so I guess it was from a long time ago. Even though it wasn't the best thing to stitch a wound with, it was all I had and better than nothing. Christian helped me clean the wound then I made a zigzag pattern with the wire down the length of the gash, closing the skin up. Rain tended to the cut on the burned part of Kacia's forearm.

When we were finished, I carried her back to our campsite, Rain holding Naruto's jacket. Once at camp, I laid out my bedding then gently placed Kacia on them. I was torn between taking Kacia back to camp half-blood where she could be properly tended to and staying to search for Naruto. I didn't want to just leave Naruto to fend for himself, but I knew Kacia couldn't get into a fight in the condition she was in.

"What are we going to do about Naruto?" Rain asked, starring at his bloody jacket.

"What is there do to?" Christian asked, "We've looked everywhere and we still can't find him. I don't want to leave him, but it's obvious he's nowhere in this area."

"And," I added, "Kacia's in no condition to go out on a search mission." Rain's expression was pained.

"What if something happens to him though?" She asked, her hands tightening on his jacket. I honestly didn't think it was possible to get really close to someone in a short amount of time, but Rain seemed to be able to do it. She hasn't even known him for a week and she's already practically crying over him. Christian looked at her sympathetically.

"Rain, none of us want to abandon him," He said gently, "But, Nico's right. If Naruto's been captured by someone, Kacia won't be able to fight properly, if she even can fight." Rain nodded, although she still looked reluctant. So, we packed all our stuff and shadow-traveled back to Camp Half-Blood.

We crash-landed on half-blood hill and I picked up Kacia and started towards the infirmary. Christian took Rain back to Kacia's cabin to drop off Naruto's stuff. Once in the infirmary, I found some Apollo kids to tend to Kacia. They told me it was best if left so I did, even though I really didn't want to. I went to my cabin and began putting my stuff away. As I was finishing, someone knocked on the door. I walked to the door and opened it to see Percy. Annabeth wasn't with him, surprisingly.

"Hey," I said, brightening.

"What happened to Kacia?" He asked worriedly, "I saw you carry her into the infirmary." I stepped out of the door, shutting it behind me. I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms.

"We don't really know. She kinda disappeared on her own, which is why we left so quickly after getting back with Rain. Anyway, we've been looking for her and we finally found her injured. But, now Naruto's missing. We think he found her and left her somewhere he knew we would be able to find her." Percy nodded slowly.

"Do you want help finding him?" He asked, slipping his hands in his pockets. I smiled despite myself.

"Yeah, that'd great," I said, "But not now. I want to wait a few days to see how Kacia heals."

"Yeah sure," He said.

We decided to go to the arena and spare to kill time. I lost track of Christian and Rain. I saw them occasionally, doing various stuff, but only briefly. Soon, the dinner bell rang and everyone made their way to the pavilion. Once every had gotten their food and made their offerings, Chiron made an announcement about two new campers—the new campers being Christian and Rain. Neither of them seemed to fond of the attention, Christian more so than Rain. After eating, I headed back to the infirmary to check on Kacia. But, I went by her cabin first. I walked in and looked around for her IPod. I found it inside her duffel bag, along with that stuffed horse from her childhood house. I hadn't realized she had taken it with her. I set it down on her bed and slipped her IPod in my pocket. I figured she might want it whenever she woke up. I reached her room and quietly opened the door. She was lying in a bed in a hospital clothes. I guess they decided to wash her original clothes. Probably a good idea. Her skin was back to its usual color, which I was happy about. She had cords in her arms and an IV drip next to her bed, the bag full of blood. I figured they would do that since she had lost tons of blood. Since she was asleep, I sat in the chair by her bed and watched TV. After a few hours, she began to stir. I looked over at her as she rubbed her eyes.

"Nico?" She mumbled sleepily, looking at me.

"Hey," I said, "How do you feel?"

"Better. My back kinda hurts though," She replied, looking around, "Where are we?"

"Camp half-blood," I told her, "You needed more medical attention then I could give you." She nodded slowly, then frowned, as if trying to remember something.

"How long have I been here?" Kacia asked.

"A couple hours," I replied, looking at the clock. It was almost midnight. I looked back at her. "What happened?" She didn't answer right away, which is what I figured she would do. I was still kinda mad at her for running off on her own, but I wasn't going to yell at her. It wouldn't help anything.

"I found Max and Brianna," She finally said quietly. I raised my eyebrows.

"And? Are they dead?" She shook her head.

"No," She said, fingering the bandage on her forearm, "Brianna slashed my back and I couldn't fight anymore. I don't know where they went." I nodded and waited for the question I knew would come up.

"Where's Naruto?" She asked, looking up from her arm. And there it was. I averted my eyes and found something interesting on the floor to look at. She took my silence to mean that he was injured and in the infirmary somewhere. I really wished that were true instead of him being missing.

"Is he ok? Can I see him?" She asked, leaning forward then wincing and leaning back again.

"He's not here," I said softly, still avoiding her eyes. I didn't have to look to know she was staring at me in disbelief.

"What do you mean?" She asked, a strange note in her voice. I wondered just how close her and Naruto had gotten. I knew she cared about him, that much was obvious when that demon took over his body. But did she have feelings for him? I didn't feel that way about her, so I didn't care. Well, it didn't make me jealous or mad or anything. In any other circumstance the thought would have made me laugh, but now? Not so much.

"Nico," Kacia said more firmly, "What do you mean?" I finally met her gaze.

"He's not here," I repeated, "All I know is that I found you barely conscious with his jacket pressed against your back to stop the bleeding. We searched but couldn't find him. I think he's been captured." She stared at me and I waited for the outburst.

"So, you just left him on his own?" She asked incredulously, "He could be dying as we speak!"

"I know," I said, forcing myself to remain calm, "But, I didn't have the right medical supplies to help you. You were _dying, _Kacia. I had to leave Naruto."

"But—" She started.

"But what?" I snapped. Screw remaining calm. "You want me to let you die just to look for Naruto? Is that what you wanted me to do? I'm just as worried about him as you are, Kacia. But, I wasn't about to let you die. He wouldn't want that." She sighed and rested her head on her pillow.

"I know," She finally said, "I'm sorry." She turned her head to look at me. "Thanks for saving me." I smiled faintly at her.

"You would've done the same." She snorted.

"Yeah, I would." I stood and started towards the door.

"I'll let you rest," I said.

"Ok, but we're leaving in the morning to go search for Naruto," She said, her voice saying that arguing wasn't an option. I should've figured she would say that.

"Kacia, you need to heal. Your no use to him injured like that," I said, turning to look at her. She stared right back at me.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing, you know that Nico. I'm leaving, you can come if you want to." I mumbled under my breathe.

"What was that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," I said, "We can go in the morning. Your obviously not going to listen to reason." She smiled and I glared. I opened the door and shut it quietly behind me, then made my way back to my cabin.

**.::**_Kacia's POV_**::.**

I lied in my bed, watching the TV but not really paying attention. My back didn't hurt as much as I expected, but I guess that was a good thing. Neither did my forearm. The only thing that really bothered me was the itchy hospital clothes. My mind kept going over what Nico had told me. I couldn't believe that Naruto was missing. I thought back to my fight with Max and Brianna. I remembered my back exploding with pain as Brianna slashed it open, then collapsing. After that I didn't remember much. If I really thought hard, I could just remember feeling something warm press against my mouth. Lips. It had been lips. Then I felt someone pick me up and quickly carry me through the woods. Although, it was fuzzy.

I couldn't remember anything after that. Had that been Naruto? Given what Nico said, it had to be. How had he found me though? I shook my head. I was too tired to try and come up with an answer. I grabbed the remote to the TV and switched it off. I reached and switched out my lamp and the room went dark. It bothered me how much I was worried about Naruto. I had only really cared about four people in my life. My Mother, Nico and Max and Brianna—before they betrayed me anyway. So, why was I this worried over _Naruto? _ I didn't have feelings for him—did I? Sighing, I looked over at the small nightstand by the bed. I saw my IPod and smiled. Nico must have brought it over earlier. I reached over and grabbed it, putting the headphones into my ears. I turned it on and put it on shuffle.

"You call to me and I fall at your feet, how could anyone ask for more? Our time apart, like knives in my heart. How could anyone ask for more? But if there's a pill to help me forget, God knows I haven't found it yet—but I'm dying to. God I'm trying to! 'Cause trying not to love you, only goes so far. Trying not to need you, is tearing me apart. Can't see the silver lining down here on the floor, and I just keep on trying but I don't know what for. 'Cause trying not to love you, only makes me love you more." 

Until then, I hadn't realized what song I was singing. I was positive I didn't have feelings for Naruto. Or maybe I was just scared to find out I did. I sighed and put my IPod back onto the nightstand. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And its finished! This one's really long, just over 9,000 words. I hope you guys liked it. Oh, the idea of Naruto getting captured wasn't exactly my idea. Headsupdisplay came up with the general idea. So, thanks! :D Thanks to those who reviewed, I would take the time to reply, but I'm just to tired. Oh, and if Sai was OOC, sorry. He's just so freaking emotionless, I have trouble portraying him. Anyways, please review! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Naruto Shippuden, the book series Percy Jackson, nor the song by Nickelback. They belong to their respective owners. **


	9. Authors Note

**Hey guys, I know I havent updated in a while, and I'm sorry about that. But, my laptop decided to die and the chargers broken -.- So, I'm having to go to the library to type. I don't know how often I can come to the library though, so updates are probably going to be spread out. I'll do what I can, but I don't know when the laptop will be fixed. So yeah, sorry guys! **


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! The laptop is fixed, but it's border lining fixed and forever ruined. So, hopefully it'll last. But, here's chapter 9 :D I hope you guys like it and tell me what you think! ;) Thanks to Headsupdisplay for reviewing, you're awesome like always :D Oh, and on the cover picture thing for this story. That is Emma Stone, and that is how I picture Kacia. I was having trouble coming up with a good cover page and then I got inspiration from Maddie Rose's cover for Heart of Fire. Good story by the way *hint hint* Anyways, please review! :D**

**.::**_Chapter 9-Somewhere_**::.**

**.::**_Kacia's POV_**::.**

I blinked open my eyes and sat up groggily. Rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand, I looked around. On the chair next to my bed sat some jeans and a red T-shirt. A cup of nectar sat on the nightstand. An Apollo kid probably left it for me. I reached over and took the cup and began drinking it. Warmth spread throughout my body. It tasted like chocolate chip cookies. I set the now empty cup down and climbed out of bed. I walked to the small sink and mirror, dragging the IV drip along with me. Turning, I twisted around to peer at my back. The gash had healed fully. That's the Apollo kids for you. But, a scar remained—stretching from my left shoulder to my right hip. The skin was a reddish-pinkish color. I looked down at my bandaged forearm and began unwrapping it, going slow as to not irritate the burn. The burn itself was a lighter red color than it had been and looked tons better but was still tender. It would probably scar though. I couldn't see the cut, so I'm guessing that it had healed completely. I tossed the bandage into the trash then began carefully pulling the cords attached to the IV Drip out of my arm. I didn't need it anymore anyways. I strode to the chair beside my bed, grabbed my clothes, and then went into the bathroom. I began undoing the strings that tied the gown together at my back. Once the gown was off, I slipped on my clothes, went over to the bedside table and took my IPod, then walked out of the room.

I weaved through the halls of the infirmary, then exited the building. A bell rang, signaling that it was time to eat. Although which meal it was I don't know. Judging by the suns position, I'm guessing lunch. So, I headed towards the pavilion. I weaved through the tables towards mine, and then sat down. I said the first thing that came to mind—pepperoni pizza. I was painfully aware of the absence of Naruto. I had grown accustomed to him sitting with me. Although, I still don't understand why he wouldn't sit with Nico or something. Even so, I enjoyed the company, even though I didn't show it. I shook my head. I was not going to think about him. After eating, I exited the pavilion. In the distance at the Blue House, I saw Nico speaking to Chiron. I started towards them, curious.

"…..search the whole forest, but I don't see any other option," Nico was saying, a familiar look on his face. It was the look he got when he was about to do something reckless.

"Do what you can to find him," Chiron told him. He rested a hand on Nico's shoulder. "But, be careful." He looked up as I approached. He smiled, but I could tell he wasn't pleased that I had run off on my own.

"Ah, Kacia, I'm glad you are well." I offered a quick smile.

"So, I take it you don't know anything about who took Naruto?" I asked, standing beside Nico.

The centaur shook his head. "I'm afraid not. If you find anything that might help point to who these people are, then bring it back."

Nico and I nodded. That was a big if though. I doubt they want to be found.

"I'll go talk to Percy," Nico said, scanning the camp for his cousin. I looked over at him. Why would he need to talk to Percy? Was he coming?

"Is he coming with us?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, he offered to help." I couldn't help but smile. It'd be good to have a son of Posiedon along. Nico walked off, heading towards the arena where we practiced swordplay. I watched him leave, aware of Chiron's eyes on me.

"Kacia…." He began. I inwardly groaned. Here it comes. I looked at him, preparing for the lecture.

"What you did was foolish and reckless," He continued sternly, "Your lucky to have survived."

"I know," I replied, "but, I couldn't just let them go. I needed to finish what they started." Chiron only vaguely knew about my past with Max and Brianna, so I didn't expect him to understand.

"That doesn't make it any more acceptable. We were worried about you—especially Nico." Guilt washed over me. I hated causing him to worry about me. He had done so much for me and always came for me whenever I got myself into a dangerous situation or did something stupid. Even so, I didn't regret what I did. Chiron's eyes softened and he lifted my chin so I was looking up at him, his thumb stroking my cheek.

"Just don't do something like that again," He said gently.

"I won't," I told him, even though I probably would at some point. Maybe it was the fact that Chiron always had this parental guidance/protectiveness thing for all the campers. Or maybe it was the fact that Chiron had that effect on people, but I had always considered Chiron like a Father to me. Even though I had never come to Camp Half-Blood that often.

I left him to go find Rain since I hadnt seen her since I got out of the infirmary. Or Christian for that matter. I checked the arena but she wasn't there. Percy was though, along with Annabeth, talking to Nico. I wonder if she would come along even though she didn't know Naruto very well. Maybe she would just to keep tabs on her boyfriend. I smirked at the thought. I left and tried the archery range, even though I had no clue if she did archery. She wasn't there either. Growing impatient, I just went to Zeus' cabin. I walked up the porch steps and knocked on the door. For a few minutes there was only silence and I started to leave, my mind already going over the places I hadnt checked. Then the door swung open to reveal Christian. He wore camouflage cargo shorts with a black T-shirt. His blonde hair was wet from taking a shower. He leaned against the doorframe, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Your out of the infirmary," He noted, looking me up and down.

"Yeah," I said, "Is Rain with you?"

He shook his head. "No, you could check out the stables though. She mentioned going over there." I nodded and turned to leave then paused.

"Hey, are you coming with us to look for Naruto?" I asked, looking back at him. He smiled faintly.

"Well yeah, I wasn't about to let you guys have all the fun." I grinned at him. I had actually begun to like the guy (no, not _like, _although he wasn't bad looking). I wasn't sure about him when we first met, but he really wasn't that bad once you hung around him for a while. But, despite his light-hearted tone, I could tell he was worried about the idiot. I was to, whether I liked it or not.

"I'll see you later then," I said, walking down the steps. I heard the door click shut behind me.

I headed towards the stables like Christian said. Sure enough, in a open field by the barn, was Rain attempting to ride one of the horses. I recognized the horse as a young stallion named Stormbreaker. He was a light grey color with charcol grey wings and mane. He had scars on his muzzle and shoulders as a result of being in battles. Rain was riding bareback, as most of half-bloods did. It was difficult to ride using a saddle since the wings were in the way. But, instead of using a bridle, she had a hackamore on. She was doing well considering that Stormbreaker could be hard to handle. He tended to have a lot of spirit. As I watched, the stallion shied away from something and bolted, flaring his wings but not taking off. Poor Rain wasn't expecting it and fell off, hitting the ground and rolling. I quickly ran to catch the spooked horse, taking his reigns and calming him down.

"Easy," I crooned, stroking his nose. He snorted and nosed my hand. I led the horse over to where Rain was sitting. She smiled as I approached.

"You ok?" I asked, stopping a few feet away. She nodded.

"Yeah." Rain stood and strode over, rubbing one arm. I furrowed my eyebrows, worried that she had injured her arm. She noticed and dropped her hand to her side.

"I'm fine," She insisted, "I just bruised it."

"Yeah, ok….." I said, still unconvinced. Rain stood beside me, stroking Stormbreaker's neck, her fingers digging into his mane.

"Have you ridden a horse before?" I asked her.

"No," Rain replied, "I've wanted to, but I never had time." I was going to ask what she meant, but didn't. She obviously didn't want to talk about it.

"Well, I honestly would've chosen a different horse," I told her, "Stormbreaker has a lot of spirit and can be hard to handle." The stallion snorted and tugged at the reigns, obviously getting tired of standing still. Rain laughed and nodded agreement.

"Yeah, but he seemed eager to get out of the barn," She said. I ran my hand along Stormbreaker's neck and braced my hands at his withers and hoisted myself up onto his back. I gestured behind me with one hand, holding the reigns in the other.

"Get on," I told Rain. She grinned and got on behind me, her arms wrapping around my waist.

"Where are we going?" She asked. I smirked at her over my shoulder.

"I don't know." I gripped the reigns in my hands then nudged Stormbreaker's sides with my heels. He bolted forward, his hooves thudding on the ground. We sped by the barn and across the field. As we neared the tree line, I felt Rain's arms tighten around my waist. Stormbreaker flared his wings and flapped a few times then we were airborne. As we leveled out and glided over the forest, I felt Rain's arms loosen their grip. In the distance I saw Zeus' fist jutting up from the ground. Behind us and to our right I could see the beach and the ocean. Rain nudged me and pointed below us. I followed her finger and saw a couple tree nymphs playing some form of tag, chasing each other and disappearing into the tree then reappearing on the other side. I smiled and shook my head. Stormbreaker took us deep into the forest to a clearing with a small stream running through it. He landed by the stream and Rain and I slide off. I tied the reigns loosely behind his neck, trusting that he wouldn't run off. I strode over to where Rain was sitting on the ground and sat across from her, my knees drawn up to my chest.

"So, what do you think of camp?" I asked her.

"Its….different that what I thought it would be," She replied, smiling shyly.

I couldn't help but laugh. "How so?"

She shrugged, a thoughtful expression on face. "I don't know. I sort of expected the instructors to be…..less friendly, I guess."

I nodded. I could understand that. Rain leaned back on the palms of her hands, starring up at the sky through the canopy of leaves. Stormbreaker stamped a hoof from where he stood by the stream, grazing.

"Have you always lived here?" Rain asked, still looking up at the sky. I hesitated, wondering just how much to tell her. I liked Rain, she seemed like a sweet kid, but I was still cautious. Finally, I decided I was being paranoid. I could trust Rain.

"No," I replied, picking at the grass, "I did for a very short while, but I mainly lived in different cities." She fixed her eyes on me, a curious but puzzled look on her face.

"Alone?"

"Sometimes. I was in and out of orphanages for a while then I lived on the streets." I paused, not knowing if I should even mention Max and Brianna. Then I figured she deserved to know why I disappeared and put her and everyone else in danger. "Then….I met Max and Brianna." Her eyebrows shot up, her shock clear on her face.

"What? How?" She asked, leaning forward, her eyes never leaving me. I ripped a blade of grass from the ground as I thought about how to answer.

"They found me in an alley during the night after a fight with a monster. I had recently gotten the two swords I use now and I didn't really know how to fight. They offered to teach me and I agreed. After that I just traveled with them, went where ever they went."

"Then, what happened between you and them?"

"They served Kronos and tried to kill me," I said slowly, "And after that I ran off on my own. Then I found Nico and we've been together since." Rain drew back and brushed her hair out of her face, only for it to fall back again. She seemed a little surprised. Probably since neither Max or Brianna had tried to kill her.

A confused expression crossed her face. "Wait….What about your parents?"

My eyes flicked upward towards her then back down to the ground. A lump formed in my throat. My dark hair fell from behind my ears and obscured my face.

"My Father's Kronos," I said, attempting to speak around the lump, "So, I don't see him often, but then he's made it clear he doesn't care about me—" I stopped, my throat constricting. I took a deep breath and fought down my emotions. "—And my Mother died when I was little. So, like I said, I've been alone aside from Nico." Rain blinked, sympathy—and understanding?—apparent on her face.

"I'm sorry, Kacia."

I offered a weak smile. "Thanks, Rain. But, it is what it is."

We sat in silence for a while. Stormbreaker was dozing with his eyes half closed. I lied down on my back with my fingers laced behind my head. I closed my eyes and listened to the birds singing in the trees. A cool breeze rustled the leaves. Here, everything was perfect. There was no threat of war. No more worry. No more fear. Then Naruto's smiling face appeared in my mind. I opened my eyes.

Naruto.

Where was he? Was he hurt? Was he fighting to escape? Was he even alive? That thought sent chills up my spine. I couldn't stand the thought of losing someone else. Especially him. Why did the idiot have to come back for me? Why couldn't he just leave me to die? Then he wouldn't be captured or maybe even dead. I sighed, irritated.

"Thank you."

I looked over at Rain where she was lying beside me, a confused expression on my face. "For what?"

"For coming to get me," She replied, "And for bringing my brother." She turned her head to look at me. "How did you find him anyway?"

That reminded me that Christian hadn't been with Rain when he should have. Why had they been separated?

"He just followed us then when we stopped to eat Naruto confronted him," I told her. "But why were you two separated in the first place?" Rain looked away towards where Stormbreaker was lying in the grass. I didn't want to force her into telling me, so I just waited and stared up at the sky. Finally, when I was beginning to think she wasn't going to speak, she slowly turned to look at me.

"We were attacked by a group of people and half-bloods, and Christian had told me to run, so I did. But, after couple of minutes, he still hadn't returned, so I went looking for him. I didn't find him or any trace of the group that attacked us. Days passed and I still hadn't found him. Then Max and Brianna found me. They told me that they had my brother captive and that if I didn't go with them they would kill him. So I did and then a day or two later you guys came."

I frowned. People? It wasn't unusual for people to be allied with half-bloods, but it certainly was rare. Of course, they were probably skilled in fighting. Maybe they knew martial arts or were really proficient with guns.

"Do you know who they were? Did they have any insignia on them at all?" I asked, pushing myself up into a sitting position. Rain thought a for a minute, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I kinda remember something like that on their clothes…..I think it was a circle with a cross inside." She looked down at the ground, looking like she was hiding something. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what else she knew.

"Rain….what aren't you telling me?" She sighed and raised her head to look at me.

"I think the people that captured Christian are the same people that took Naruto. Because when we were looking for him, I found a piece of cloth with the circle and cross symbol sewn onto it and showed Christian. I thought he had told you, I guess not."

I stared at her, my blood running cold. So that means whoever Max and Brianna are currently working for, have Naruto. But, what could those people possibly want with Naruto? Also, Christian might know where their keeping him since he'd stayed with them for a few days—maybe more. But why hadn't Christian told me?

"You're not going to go after Max and Brianna again, are you?" Rain asked, eyeing me like I might run off any second. I shook my head.

"No….I am going to talk to your brother though."

She nodded. "When are we leaving to search for Naruto?"

"That I don't know, probably later on today."

If we were leaving later on, I didn't have much time to talk to Christian. It was already late afternoon. Dinner would be soon and I'm guessing after that is when Nico will probably want to leave. I looked at Rain, suddenly not wanting her to come. I didn't want to lead her into yet another dangerous situation. Not that she couldn't handle it, I just didn't want her to get hurt, or die.

"Are you sure you want to come?" I asked, "I don't want you to feel like you have to." Rain gave me an odd look, her eyes shining boldly.

"Of course I do. I like Naruto and I want to help get him back."

I nodded consent. Obviously she wouldn't be deterred. We stood and strode over to where Stormbreaker was on his side in the grass. As we approached, he raised his head and got to his feet. I took the reins in one hand then heaved myself up onto his back, Rain sitting behind me. Stormbreaker took a few steps then propelled himself into the air. We flew over the forest, heading back towards the barn.

After returning the stallion to his stall and giving him some food and water, we went our separate ways. I headed out to find Christian while she went back to her cabin. I went to the arena where we practiced swordplay but he wasn't there. So, I went to the lava rock. No luck there either. Remembering how he uses a bow, I started towards the archery range. Sure enough, he was there along with a few other people. However, he was standing on the far side of the range, far away from everyone else. Which was good given the topic I wanted to talk about. At first, I didn't approach him, I just stood and watched him shoot. I didn't know much about the bow, but I could use it. Albeit, I wasn't very good. The sword was my strong point. Anyway, Christian, on the other hand, was _very _good. He was using the same metal bow he always had with him on his belt. Each arrow hit the bull's-eye in the center. The way he moved was very fluent to. It was like the bow was a part of him instead of being just a disposable weapon. I started towards him quietly, not wanting to accidently startle him. I stopped and leaned against a tree that was behind him.

"Christian," I called, crossing my arms over my chest. He lowered the bow, an arrow knocked onto the string, and turned to face me, an eyebrow raised in question.

"What's up?" He asked, detaching the arrow and putting it back in the case along with a few others. Despite his light tone, I could tell he knew something was up.

"I hear you got captured by the people who could possibly be the same people who took Naruto," I said, my voice hard. It really wasn't a possibility, I was _certain_ that these were the people who had taken Naruto. And he just kept that information to himself, like it wasn't important. Why would he do that? It was sad really, I had just begun to like the guy. Now, he could very well be working with the people who had taken Naruto _and _ Max and Brianna. But, I wasn't exactly surprised. I was used to it. It's was I get for trusting a guy I didn't know anything about. Christian's head snapped up from what he was doing, his electric blue eyes flashing with shock.

"Who told you that?" He asked, he voice demanding, no longer light and friendly. In fact, his whole demeanor changed. He was tense—obviously expecting a fight—and his eyes like ice. His grip on the bow tightened and he flexed his fingers in his free hand. I knew Christian was a formidable opponent—not to mention a head taller—he was skilled with the sword to and I wasn't in a hurry to be electrocuted.

"Your sister," I shot at him, my fingers running along the bracelet that turned into my swords. He noticed the movement and his eyes locked with mine. I couldn't read anything—they were like closed doors. I lowered my gaze to his bow and noticed that etched into the metal was a circle with a cross inside. It was barely noticeable to someone who wasn't looking. Unbidden, dismay crept into me. The little girl inside of me screamed that it wasn't—couldn't—be true. This was _Christian. _But, I really knew nothing about the boy in front of me. All I knew was what little Rain had told me. I scolded myself for trusting him.

"What did she tell you?" Christian asked, picking up the case of arrows and striding towards me. I mentally went over what I could to if he attacked. If he did work for those people, I honestly doubted he would attack. We were in public and it just wouldn't be smart. And he knew that. But still, it wouldn't hurt to plan.

"She told me that you both were attacked by a group of demigods and humans," I said, keeping my eyes trained to him. "And that you told her to run. Then when she went looking for you, you were gone." Christian just watched me, acting nonchalant, no more evidence of his earlier shock and anger.

"And that is true," He said, standing just out of reach.

"Then what about the symbol on your bow?" I challenged, "Rain showed you a piece of cloth she found with that same symbol on it. You know what I'm talking about, Christian. Do you really expect me to believe that the people who captured you and the people who captured Naruto are the same group to just be a coincidence?" Honestly, he could have easily stolen the bow when he was captured, so I didn't count that as hard evidence. But, it also could go the other way. He could have gotten it because he worked for them.

"No, I don't," He said and he started to walk away, obviously done with the conversation. I wasn't though. I ground my teeth and strode after him then grabbed his arm, turning him back to face me. By now, the other people practicing had noticed something was up and were watching from distance. Although they were trying to be discreet about it.

"Why didn't you tell me or Nico that you knew who took Naruto?" I growled, fully prepared to go find Nico and interrogate the son of Zeus. Christian's jaw clenched.

"Kacia—" He begun.

"You probably know where their keeping him, don't you?" I continued, locking my eyes with his. I thought I was a flash of something—guilt?—in them, but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. But that was it for me. Christian was working for the people who took Naruto. I stared at him, not caring if my emotions were clear as day. And apparently they were because he gave me a very brief remorseful look. Then it hardened and his eyes were like ice once more. He turned and walked away, towards the cabins. I watched him go. No matter how much I was used to betrayal, I never, ever got used to the feeling. It was like a slap to the face. I wondered if Rain was aware of any of it. Probably not. I felt sorry for the girl. She had so much trust in her brother and it was obvious she loved him a lot. The dinner bell rang loud and clear, and I strode towards the pavilion, head down. Inside, Rain was sitting alone at her table. I went to my table and sat down in my usual spot, then scanned the place for Nico. I saw him walking towards his table and tried to catch his eye. He noticed and gave me a questioning look. I mouthed that I needed to talk to him afterwards. He frowned, obviously seeing something in my expression that worried him, and nodded, then sat at his table. I ordered my food, my eyes once again focusing on Naruto's empty seat. I prayed to all the gods—even Hades—to keep him safe even though he wasn't from this world.

After dinner, I hurried out of the pavilion and waited outside for Nico. A few minutes later, the boy walked out and I grabbed his wrist so he didn't walk straight past me. He took one look at me and his eyebrows furrowed, his dark eyes concerned.

"What's happened?" He asked, twisting his wrist to lightly hold mine. Even though Nico's skin was colder than most people's—you know, being the son of the god of the dead and everything—they were strangely comforting.

"Not here," I said and lead the way to his cabin. He followed without question. We sat on one of the bunks with our backs to the wall. Our shoulders and fingers brushed against each other but I didn't mind.

"So…what's up?" Nico asked again, looking at me. I swallowed, not liking any bit of this. But I had to.

"Its Christian," I told him slowly, "We can't trust him."

He nodded. "Ok. Why?"

I told him everything Rain told me and about my conversation with the son of Zeus, leaving nothing out. Nico sighed when I was finished, raking a hand through his black hair.

"And your sure about this?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"What about Rain? Does she know?" He gave me a look, obviously concerned about the thirteen year old girl.

I shook my head. "I don't think so."

I wondered if we should tell her about what her brother was doing. I pushed the thought away though. I might tell her sometime, but not now. We had to focus on finding Naruto, and knowing her brother was a traitor would distract her. Even though that was cold, it was for the best.

"What should we do with him though?" I asked, looking at Nico. Even though we were the same age and had about the same amount of experience, I usually differed to him as the leader. Nico remained silent for a couple minutes. I let him think it out, knowing he'd come up with a good solution.

"I don't think we should do anything," He finally decided, "From what you said, he's the only one who could possibly know where Naruto is. But, we should definitely keep an eye on him, but without Rain noticing."

I nodded agreement. That was reasonable. Even though I hated doing _nothing. _"What if he disappears or tries anything?"

"I don't think he will, not with Rain around. But, if he is working for those people, when we get closer to Naruto, we'll have to be cautious." I groaned inwardly at the thought of fighting Christian. He was very skilled and smart. But the worst was that we knew nothing about him. He could be a freaking assassin for all we know. I drew my knees up and rested my forehead on them, my hair shielding my face. I felt Nico's arm around my shoulders, pulling me towards him. I didn't resist and leaned against his chest, my head under his chin. Must people took Nico as a mean, threatening and dangerous person. Probably because of his mysterious and aloof air. But he really wasn't. He just didn't trust easily. Quite the contrary, he was actually very loyal and caring. He was _not _ to be underestimated though. Nico could be very violent and cold—bordering on ruthless—whenever someone he was close to was in danger. Like me or Percy. So, like I've said many times, I trusted him with my life.

"Hey, it'll be ok," Nico said softly, "We'll find Naruto, with or without Christian. I promise."

"Are you going to tell Percy?" I asked, suddenly wanting the son of Poseidon's support.

"Yeah. I'll go tell him now. You go pack then meet us at Half-Blood Hill. Bring Rain and Christian to." I nodded and sat up, and looked at Nico. He offered a small smile and I returned it. I stood and walked out of the cabin then went around the U shape until I reached mine. I found my duffel bag lying on my bed, my stuffed horse sitting on the bed outside of the bag. On the bunk across from mine was Naruto's belongings. Which was his small pack holding sleeping supplies and water and his jacket. The jacket was stained dark red with blood. My fist clenched at the sight of it. Why the hell did Naruto have to be so devoted to his friends? To _me? _ I snatched the jacket from the bed and strode to the bathroom and bent over the tub/shower and turned on the water. I begun washing his jacket with soap in an attempt to get the blood out. Ten minutes later and the jacket was clean with only a slight darker spot where the blood had been. I wrung the jacket out and went back to my bunk. I set the jacket beside my duffel bag then went to the back of the cabin, feeling for the familiar seam in the carpeting. I found it and peeled it away then opened the trap door. I grabbed some extra first aid supplies along with a bottle of alcohol and some bottles of water. I stuffed them in my bag along with my IPod. My eyes lingered on Naruto's jacket. I wondered if I should bring it with me. I shrugged. Might as well. So, I folded the jacket—don't ask me why—and put it inside my bag. . I zipped up my duffel bag and headed out towards the Zeus' cabin to get Rain and Christian. I walked up the steps and lightly knocked on the door. A few seconds later it swung open to reveal Rain. She smiled, her red backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Hey," She said, then turned into the cabin. "Christian! Kacia's here! Let's go!"

Christian appeared behind his little sister, his backpack also slung over one shoulder. He smiled at me like our conversation earlier never happened. I suppressed the urge to glare and smiled back. We headed towards Half-Blood Hill, where Nico waited with Percy and Annabeth. The thought of having the daughter of Athena with us lightened my spirits. Percy saw us and waved, showing no sign of knowing about Christian. Which was good. Once we were all together, Nico shadow-traveled us back to Clearwater, Florida, where we would scout the forest where Naruto had been taken for any more signs of who took Naruto—even though we had Christian. But, he doesn't know that both Nico and Percy know about him, and going back to Clearwater will only keep up the façade that that is true. If we don't find anything, then we'll confront Christian.

Unfortunately, it was too dark to go to the forest, so we booked a hotel room with three beds, TV and the usual bathroom. We decided on the bed arrangements quickly: I would sleep with Nico, Christian with Rain and obviously Percy with Annabeth. While everyone else watched TV, I took out some athletic shorts and a T-shirt from my bag and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Afterwards, I put my clothes into my bag and plopped down on one of the beds beside Nico. I glanced over at Percy and Annabeth, who were whispering to each other. I couldn't tell what they were saying, but given their serious faces, it was probably about Naruto. After a while, we turned the TV and lights out. I reached down to the floor on my side of the bed towards my bag and rummaged around until I found my IPod. I put the headphones in my ears and turned onto my side, my back to the now asleep Nico. I put it on shuffle and closed my eyes. Yes, I sometimes sleep with music. It helps me.

"Lost in the darkness, hoping for a sign. Instead there's only silence, can't you hear my screams? Never stop hoping, need to know where you are. But one thing's for sure: your always in my heart. I'll find you somewhere, I'll keep on trying until my dying day. I just need to know whatever has happened, the truth will free my soul. Lost in the darkness, trying to find your way home. I want to embrace you and never let you go. Almost hope you're in heaven so no one can hurt your soul. Living in agony, 'cause I just do not know where you are. I'll find you somewhere, I'll keep on trying until my dying day. I just need to know whatever has happened, the truth will free my soul. Where ever you are, I won't stop searching, whatever it takes, I need to know." 

I squeezed my eyes shut to fight back the sudden tears. Damn-it. Of all the people to get emotional about, it had to be Naruto. I vowed silently that I would find Naruto, even if it meant fighting—and maybe killing—Christian. A few minutes later, I fell asleep thinking about all that Naruto had told me about his home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And it's done! I'm terribly sorry about the one-two month wait I never got to the library often and like I said, the laptop just now got fixed. Anyways, hahaha, you guys probably thought that Christian was just some random guy looking for his sister huh? xD Its never that simple with me :P And Kacia's feelings are deepening ^_^ Next chapter we will visit Naruto! :D Anyways, tell me what you guys think! Until next time! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Anime Naruto Shippuden, the book series Percy Jackson nor the song by Within Temptation. They belong to their rightful owners.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello! I'm sorry for the late update, yet **_**again. **_**But, I've been swamped with homework, tests and quizzes. I'm here now though! :D I hope you guys like this chapter and tell me what you think! ****Oh, and there is a time skip in this chapter. But it's only a couple days. Please note, that Naruto has already been captive for a day when Kacia and the others leave Camp Half-Blood. The time skip is **_**after **_**they leave camp. So, it has already been a couple days since they left. I will explain what happened during the skip.**** Anyways, onto the reviews!**

**Mr. Question Mark: Mmmm, I **_**might **_**have Sage Mode and I might not. I haven't quite decided yet. So, we shall see!**

**Namikaze541: A new reviewer! Hello! :D I know, the security code is annoying. I feel for you. Its especially annoying when I'm trying to log in on my IPod touch -.- I'm glad you think my story is awesome and exhilarating :D All your questions will be answered in chapters to come lol. And yes, this chapter does visit Naruto, how he's doing etc. Thank you for your feedback! Your totally awesome and I love you **

**Onto the story!**

"Sound the bugle now

Play it just for me

As the seasons change, remember how I used to be

Now I can't go home, I can't even start. 

I've got nothing left, just an empty heart.

I'm a soldier, wounded so I, must give up the fight.

There's nothing more for me, lead me away, or leave me lying here

Sound the bugle now, 

Tell them I don't care

There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere

Without a light I fear that I will stumble in the dark

Lay right down, decide, not to go on."

~Sound the Bugle by Bryan Adams (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron)

**.::**_Chapter 10_**::.**

**.::**_Naruto's POV_**::.**

I glared up at the shackles on my wrists, twisting my hand left and right in an attempt to slip my hand free. I ignored the sharp pain and the fresh blood tracks trailing down my arm. The shackles had rows of small spikes lining the inside, so any movement at all made my wrists bleed. To top it all off, the skin was raw and I had sores from trying get free. My ankles also had shackles, but no spikes, thankfully. Oh, and I was hanging a couple feet off the ground. It wasn't much, but it was enough to strain my wrist and shoulder joints. There were two metal posts on either side of me. The chains attached to the shackles on my wrists were attached to the top of either post. The shackles attached to my ankles were attached to metal hoops that were anchored to the ground. I switched to my other wrist and started moving it around. The spikes dug into my skin and I hissed in pain as blood trickled down my arm. The shackles didn't budge and I growled. I flexed my arms and pulled myself up until bones in my wrists ground together painfully. The deep gashes along my back from multiple floggings reopened and hot blood ran down. **(A/N: For the people that don't know, flog is another word for being whipped). **My arms gave out and I fell back down until the chains rattled and tightened. My shoulders went out of socket briefly then popped back in loudly. I flailed my legs in an attempt to break the chains. They rattled loudly and echoed in the dark room. They didn't break though. Figures. I yelled in frustration then hung my head, grinding my teeth together.

After those guys ambushed me, I had woken up in a dense forest. But, it wasn't the one where they had ambushed me. My wrists were bound with rope. I was sitting on the ground, my back up against the trunk of a large tree. The six guys that ambushed me were scattered throughout the small camp they had built. Two of them were in the trees, looking ahead. One was sitting a few feet away from me, obviously supposed to me watching me, but was cleaning his gun. The other three were eating or just sitting doing nothing. The bonds on my wrists were loose, obviously they didn't expect me to wake up this soon. I kept my head bowed as to not alert them, snapped the bonds, then lunged at the one closest to me. His head jerked up and he shouted before I cracked his head against a tree. He slumped to the ground, the side of his head bleeding. The others were faster, however, and all drew various weapons—guns, half-blades and knives—and attacked. I snatched the dead guys half-blade and slashed it in an arc. They all jumped back then tensed. I rose and parried a half-blade, kicked him in the chest, then whirled and dodged a bullet that whizzed by my head. (Note to self: Thank Nico for the lessons). One guy punched at me, I grabbed his fist, twisted his arm around his back, then slashed his throat. I released him and he fell to the ground. I ducked a half-blade and jumped into the trees as two guys shot at me. I formed a T with my fingers and five shadow-clones appeared and swarmed the four remaining humans.

I felt my waist for my weapons pouch and realized that I didn't have it. I scanned the camp for it but didn't see it anywhere. They probably had it in one of their packs. Tch. I looked down and watched the humans fighting my clones. I had to hand it to them, they were skilled in martial arts. I saw one that wasn't locked in combat sneaking up behind a clone. I gripped the half-blade and flashed behind him. He whirled and blocked the blade. I shoved my weight forward and he took a step back then kicked at my temple. I leaned back out of range, just missing the kick. He moved forward, slashing, kicking and punching consecutively. I evaded his attacks then saw an opening and lunged forward, slashing open his side. He grunted then jumped back. Three of my clones disappeared, their memories flashing in the back of my mind. The guy started moving in a circle towards my right, his eyes trained on me. I watched him, waiting for him to make the first move. As I studied him, I noticed an insignia stitched into the breast of his shirt. It was a circle with a cross inside. At least, that's what I could make out in a few seconds. He lunged to my right as another from behind lunged to my left, their blades extended to gash my sides. I ducked and tackled the one on the left, rolled then kicked him off over my head. He knocked into another guy and they hit the ground. The two remaining clones attacked the two on the ground, rebuffing their attempts to get at me.

I got to my feet only to fall to one knee. I grimaced, my hand holding my shin. I forgot about the bullet that had hit my shin earlier. Whenever 'earlier' was. The air whistled and I looked up as a knife thudded into the ground centimeters from my foot. I rolled to the side as three others followed. I stood cautiously putting my weight down on my injured leg. Pain shot up through my leg and I bit the inside of my mouth, tasting blood. A gunshot sounded and I swore under my breathe then jumped into the trees. Bullets littered the ground where I had been. I watched the guy with the gun. Apparently, it had ran out of ammo, so he discarded it on the ground and took out a knife with a serrated edge. I quickly scanned the small camp for the other one, but he was nowhere to be seen. The two remaining clones were still keeping their opponents occupied. I tightened my grip on the half-blade then flashed down to the guy with the knife. I appeared in front of him and slashed at his face. He jumped back and the blade just grazed his cheek. A small line of blood appeared and slowly trailed down his face. I landed lightly on the ground and lunged forward—kicking at his head then slashing with the blade. He evaded the attacks then locked our blades together and kicked me in the chest. I landed on my back and rolled to my feet. I held out my hand and formed Rasengan then started towards him. I felt something hit my back and electricity shot through my body. I cried out and Rasengan faded in my hand. I fell to my hands and knees as he—probably the guy I didn't see—drew the stun gun away. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fist then whirled and stood, aiming to punch the guy. He side-stepped then jabbed the stun gun into my ribs. Once again, electricity ran through my body and I yelled then fell to the ground. I rolled onto my side, curling into a ball. I groaned and glared up at him, my hands shaking from the shock. He stood there, a look of contempt on his face, the stun gun held loosely in his right hand.

"Know your place, outsider," He said gruffly, kicking my ribcage. I gritted my teeth and refused to show any pain. The other three humans joined the first and they grabbed my arms and roughly pulled me to my feet. They bound my wrists tightly in front of me then tied a rope to the bonds like a leash. Then they blinded folded and gagged me.

I don't know how much time passed because they never took the blind-fold off. The only way to tell whether it was night or day was when they stopped to make camp. I would have tried to escape again, but I couldn't break the bonds. Plus, I was weak from lack of food. They occasionally gave me enough water to keep me going and maybe stale bread, but that was it. After maybe three days, I could tell we had reached where ever they were taking me. The ground changed from dirt and grass to hard stone. They led me down a series of hallways, which I counted, in the event that maybe I could escape. They came to a halt, took my bonds, gag and blind-fold off, then shoved me into a room. If you could call it that. It was more like a cell but a little nicer. In one corner was a pile of straw and in another a hole of some sort. Probably to use as a bathroom. The floor was brown-ish stone. There were no windows and the only light was a small candle mounted to the wall above the pile of straw. They shut the metal door with a clang then locked it. I stood and half walked half limped over to the candle, favoring my injured leg. I unhitched it from where it was mounted and scanned the walls. There were writings, some of it I couldn't read, but most of it was fairly easy. Most of it were aimless ramblings. Some of it though was alarming. It talked about some strange jutsu that, according to whoever wrote it, was unheard of and resulted death.

_The last of my team has died. I heard her screams and then never saw her again. I do not know what they do to my team. I only know that there are strange markings on our chests. I'm assuming it is some unknown jutsu. I don't know the signs to this jutsu nor do I know if there is even a way to reverse it. I have given up on finding out what this strange jutsu is. My advice to whoever is reading this: Escape. Run. Get away from this place. Stop the one who is behind this if you can. They will come for me and I will join my lost teammates. I am sorry I was not able to offer any more knowledge. Good luck to you. _

I squinted at the writing. Below the last line looked to be a signature of some sort. I ran my fingers over it, trying to brush the dirt off. As it became clear, my eyebrows raised. It was the symbol for the Nara clan. A very messy one, but it was the right symbol. I remounted the candle to the wall and slowly sat down on the pile of straw. So, these guys were capturing teams of shinobi and performing this jutsu that apparently killed them. There had to be some motive behind it. What were they aiming to accomplish? And how the hell did they manage to capture whole _teams_ of shinobi? How did they travel back and forth between our worlds? I growled and punched the wall, ignoring the sharp pain and blood running down my fingers. I lied on my back, starring up at the ceiling, going over what I had read. I went over it again and again, but never came up with anything. Which was very frustrating. Of course, doing this eventually brought me to the one conclusion I was trying to avoid.

I could die.

If what this person from the Nara clan was saying was true, and if they came for me and did this weird jutsu, I could die. Unless of course whatever they were trying to accomplish worked. But even then, there was no guarantee I would live. I wouldn't see Kakashi Sensei, Grandma Tsunade, the old man at IchiRaku's or Shikamaru or Sakura or Sasuke or anybody again. I wouldn't become Hokage. I wouldn't be able to see Konohamaru become a full ninja. Then of course, my mind went to everyone I knew here. Nico. Christian and Rain. Chiron. Percy and his girlfriend Annabeth. Jack. All the other half-bloods. Kacia.

_Kacia. _

Of all the people, she was the one I was most confused about how I felt. She could be so freaking_ frustrating. _But, I did care about her, I knew that much. She was caring, in a weird kinda way. She never wasted words, that was for sure. Always said what she thought and nothing else. She was strong, stronger than she thought. It hit me that I didn't even know if she was alive. That thought chilled me. I had left her by that rock, bleeding her life away. Had Nico and the others found her? Or was she lying on the ground in the forest dead? I closed my eyes and turned over onto my side, not wanting to think about it. My mind went back to my conversation with Rain before we left to go search for Kacia.

"_You like her don't you?" _

"_What? No, no. I don't like her, no."_

"_Yeah, you do."_

"_No, I really don't…."_

"_Sure you do, you just won't admit it."_

"_No, look, I don't feel that way about Kacia."_

"_Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."_

I couldn't help but smile a little. She had been so convinced that I had feelings for Kacia. But now, maybe she had been right. Maybe I did. I _knew _I did. And if I died, she wouldn't know. I almost laughed, thinking about the conversation. I could just see her reaction now. She'd probably yell at me and hit me, like usual. But, I wouldn't expect anything less from her. I fell asleep thinking about how I was going to get out of this cell. I needed to find out who was behind this. I didn't want more shinobi to die here.

I was awakened by something tickling my face. I moved away only for it to follow. Growing annoyed, I reached up to brush it away to feel something soft and furry. Which was weird. What could be soft and furry in _this _place? I opened my eyes to see a grey mouse sitting back and holding something in its front paws. I reached out slowly and stroked its back with my index finger. It sat back down on all fours then walked closer to my face and stopped, sniffing, one forepaw held up in the air. Its whiskers twitched and tickled my face. I stroked its head gently as it picked up a piece of straw and started nibbling on it.

"What're you doing in a place like this?" I asked him. One deep brown eye looked at me, remaining silent. The mouse quite nibbling and looked up at the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway. As a metal tray was shoved through a small gap at the bottom of the door and clanged to the ground, the mouse turned and scurried away through a small gap in the corner, taking the piece of straw with it. I watched him leave then turned towards the tray. A small hunk of bread sat on a plate with some cheese along with a small cup of water. I starred at the food for a minute. It could have some drug in it made to knock me out or make me less alert and clumsy. My stomach growled. I didn't really have much choice. If I wanted to get out of here and find out who was behind this, then I needed to keep my strength up. I got to my feet with some difficulty then half walked half limped over to the tray. I picked up the plate then pushed the tray back through the small gap at the bottom of the door. I carried the plate back to the pile of straw and sat down, leaning back against the wall. I tore into the bread and starred at the wall with all the writing. Looking closer, I noticed that there were more clan symbols. Some I didn't recognize, others I did. There was Gaara's clan. Ino's. Choji's. Neji and Hinata's. Anger rose within me. How could they do this? Killing so many innocent people just for selfish reasons?

After I finished eating, I sat planning how I could find out who was behind this and then escape. I still remembered how many hallways they took me down to get me here. The only probably was figuring out which way they went. The door was locked from the outside, so I would have to wait until they came to take me back to perform that jutsu. But, they probably wouldn't wait long. I hoped so anyway. But, they had me here, so why wait? Once they did come for me, I would take those guys out then wonder around until I found the leader of this. Then hopefully escape. Of course, I knew it wouldn't be that easy. I didn't know how many people were in this place. Plus, I had no clue where this place was. I had no idea how to get back to Kacia and the others. I'm assuming that they would be at Camp. Or maybe looking for me. I hoped they weren't though, for their sakes. Also, I had no way of contacting them. I was on my own. I don't know how long I sat there just thinking, but soon the door to my cell was being unlocked. I tensed as three guys entered. Two of them had that insignia on their shirts, the other one looked relatively normal, which was weird. In the back of my mind, I wondered if he could be a half-blood. I stared at him and he stared back as he approached my left. He grabbed my upper arm as one of the others grabbed my right. I let them half lead half drag me out of the room and into the hallway. The floor, walls and ceiling were stone. The only light were torches mounted in intervals along the wall. I walked with them down the long hallway. Then as they turned into another one, I yanked my arm away and smacked the one on my lefts temple, knocking him out. The second human with the insignia grabbed the stun gun hanging at his waist and lunged at me. I side-stepped then cracked his head against the wall. He slumped to the ground, the stun gun skidding across the floor. The third one had a sword. So, maybe he was a half-blood. But, why would half-bloods be in on this?

He lunged at me, slashing his sword in an arc towards my throat. I ducked and grabbed the stun-gun off the ground then ran a few paces ahead, only for pain to shoot up my leg. I stumbled and placed a hand on the wall to steady myself. The half-blood was right behind me and I leapt ahead as the sword screeched across the stone wall. I saw something like a radio attached to his belt, a red light blinking on it. Probably a signal for back up. Terrific. He advanced on me, slashing and thrusting his sword. He was skilled, I'll give him that. I evaded his attacks then grabbed his wrist holding the blade, cutting my forearm in the process. I jabbed his ribs with the stun gun and electricity flashed and he cried out, falling to the ground. I smacked his temple with the butt of the gun, knocking him out, then turned and ran as fast as my leg would allow down the hall. Heavy footsteps echoed, but I couldn't quite tell which way they were coming from. I swore under my breathe and skidded around a corner. I passed a few doors but didn't bother looking in them. The footsteps began to get closer and I careened around a corner and saw a group of humans and probably half-bloods running towards me.

"There he is!" One yelled and they ran faster. I lunged at the closest door, yanked it open, then bolted down the stairs. I heard them following loudly behind me. A minute or two later and I could see the bottom—maybe fifteen stairs down. My injured leg spasmed and I lurched forward and fell. My injured leg took the brunt of my weight and I felt something snap. I cried out as I hit the bottom. I tried standing but the leg couldn't hold my weight and I crumpled to the ground. I looked up the stairwell and saw the humans hurrying down towards me. Gritting my teeth, I placed a hand to the wall and got to my feet, standing on one foot. Two different hallways were ahead of me, one going to the left the other right. I hurried down the right one, barley putting any weight on my leg.

Up ahead, more people appeared and turned towards me. Thinking fast, I focused chakra into my hands and feet. I placed one hand on the left wall and braced myself with my right foot on the right wall and began climbing. Once I was high enough, I stopped and watched them close in. As the first guy got close enough, I dropped onto him and snapped his neck. I quickly grabbed a knife in his belt and threw it at the nearest person, hitting their chest. I struggled as two people grabbed my arms from behind. I yanked my arm free and elbowed one of them in the face then whirled and snapped the others neck. A sword whistled through the air and narrowly missed my throat. Another raised her gun and cocked it, preparing to shoot. I smacked her wrist, causing her to drop the gun, then twisted her arm around her back, and shoved her towards the wall, her head cracking against the stone. A gunshot sounded and I instinctively ducked. I took two knives and threw them, one at a half-blood the other at a human. They hit their targets and both of them fell to the ground. I picked up a sword and turned to a half-blood. Our swords clashed, ringing loudly. She shoved forward and I stumbled, struggling to keep my balance with an injured leg. I locked our swords together and was about to make the final move when a cold chain wrapped around my neck and yanked backwards. I fell onto my back, coughing and trying to regain my breathe. As I lied there, a guy—probably not older than me—approached and kicked my across the face. Pain exploded and I felt blood pool into my mouth. I glared up at him and began to stand only to be shoved back down again by a boot to my chest. They kicked my ribcage and face until I was sure I had broken a couple ribs. My nose was broken and blood ran from it. I tried fighting them off but I couldn't stand with them kicking. Finally, when they stopped, I felt someone grab my arms and pulled me to my feet. I stared at them all in turn.

"Is that all you've got?" I challenged. One of them walked through the others and stood in front of me. He grabbed my chin and held my face so I couldn't look away.

"You never learn, do you, outsider?" He asked, but it wasn't really a question, it was more like a statement. I recognized him as the one from earlier who had used the stun gun on me in the forest. I glared and spit in his face. He simple stared then his eyes lifted to the one restraining me.

"Take him down below and chain him," He told him. His eyes held mind once again. In that single look, I knew this guy was a master at breaking peoples will. The guy restraining me was accompanied by one other and they lead me down a hallway and down a long stairwell. At the bottom , they lead me down the dank corridor which soon opened up into a large room. In the middle were two maybe seven foot posts. At the top were chains dangling down. Attached to metal hoops anchored to the ground were shorter chains. They lead me over to the posts and one grabbed the chains while the other made sure I didn't try to escape. They removed my shirt and Konoha headband, then one holding the chains grabbed my arm and attached the shackles to my wrists. It left me hanging a couple feet from the ground, straining my wrist and shoulder joints. Next, they took the shackles on the ground and attached them to my ankles. They left without a word. Every once in a while they would come in with whips and flog me repeatedly. I would bite down on the inside of my mouth to prevent from crying out, flooding my mouth with blood. Other times they would come in with metal brands and a bucket of hot coals and press the hot brand to my skin, burning it. Then, occasionally, they would come in with different devices—mostly stun-guns—and electrocute me. During this whole process, they barely gave me food or water.

That's how I got into the position I'm in now. I quite moving my wrists and remained still. I had never seen their leader, unless that guy that had told them to bring me here was him. I doubted it though. He was probably just a high ranking person. Also, I had caught glimpses of Max whenever he accompanied the guy who came down to beat me. If he was surprised to see me he didn't show it—in fact he gave me this look like he knew something I didn't. That worried and irritated me. Had something happened to Kacia and the others? I was also angry to find out that he was here. I wasn't really surprised though. This was probably where they were going to take Rain. I was glad we had found her. I would've hated for her to go through something like this. I wonder how she was doing. Knowing her, she was probably worried. I wished there was a way that I could tell them I was alive. My mind went back home. I missed everyone so badly. I remembered how Sakura had cried when she had crossed over briefly. How she had described the things going on at the village. All the people injured and dying. I knew she was probably working overtime to help as much people as possible. I was used to being separated from them for a few days—maybe a week—on missions. But, never this far away. Were they searching for any signs that I had returned? Or had they accepted the fact that I was gone and thought I was dead? I hung my head and closed my eyes. I was beginning to feel like all this fighting was hopeless. I didn't know any way home. I didn't know how to summon that door. I was chained up in some dark room, in a forest, far from any place I knew. I didn't know how much more of this I could take. I was tired. Tired of being beat. Tired of resisting. So, what was the point? I fell asleep to the steadying dripping of water somewhere in the dark room.

Faintly, I heard someone calling my name. I moaned and shook my head, wishing they'd go away. Couldn't they see that my back was already covered in open wounds? But they kept calling and calling. I ground my teeth, trying to block then out and slip back into the darkness. It was peaceful and quiet there. No pain. No anger. No hatred. Just darkness. Then I remembered that everyone here called me 'outsider.' No one called me by my name. I don't even think they knew it. I dragged my eyes open, forcing myself to somewhat alertness. I lifted my head and starred ahead, my vision blurry. In front of me was a hazy image of something. As my vision cleared, I made out a person—a girl. At first, I thought it was some sort of illusion somehow. But, then I made out dark hair and a familiar face.

"Kacia?" I said, my voice hoarse. She looked like she wanted to cry and punch something at the same time. I was relieved to see her. She had survived by some miracle.

"Naruto…." She said, sounding more at ease, "Your okay."

"Barely," I said, shifting slightly then wincing as the spikes rubbed the sores on my wrists. Hot blood ran down my arm but I hardly noticed. Kacia furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes flashing.

"What did they do to you?" She asked, her voice hard. She was obviously angry about something. I wondered if I should tell her about seeing Max, then thought better of it. I didn't wasn't to bring up bad memories.

"It doesn't matter. I'll be fine." I lied, starring behind her, trying to determine where she was. Kacia had other ideas though.

"Naruto, what did they do to you?" She persisted, crossing her arms. A gesture I learned meant that she wasn't taking no for an answer.

I sighed, not wanting to explain any of it. "They just beat me, that's it."

She remained silent, her eyes dropping from my face to my body. Her eyes narrowed then darkened.

"Your ribs are broken," She stated.

I nodded. "Yeah. I tried escaping."

Kacia dropped her gaze to the ground, looking remorseful. "Naruto….I'm sorry."

I looked at her, wondering why she was apologizing. "You have nothing to apologize for." I wished I was there in person so I could console her somehow. She shook her head, once again looking like she wanted to cry and punch something. "Yes I do. This is my fault. It's my fault your captured—"

"Kacia—" I started.

"—You shouldn't have come for me, you idiot! You should've just left me there! Then you wouldn't be captured and beaten."

So that's what this was about. I briefly considered telling her how I felt. It might be the last time I see her. But, it just didn't feel right.

"Kacia….I did that because I wanted to. I couldn't just leave you there."

She looked at me, something in her eyes I couldn't place. "Where are they keeping you? Are you in a building or underground or what?"

I shook my head. "Kacia, stay away from here."

She glared. This girl could be so stubborn. "We're going to get you out, Naruto. Now where are they keeping you?"

"This place is dangerous, Kacia," I told her, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"And I don't want you getting beat again," she shot back fiercely, her eyes flashing. I looked away and stared at the ground. She obviously wouldn't be deterred.

I sighed then slowly lifted my eyes towards her. "I don't know where I am. I'm assuming I'm in a building of some sort underground. The place is made out of stone, so maybe in a mountain. But, be careful Kacia. I mean it."

Kacia smiled briefly and nodded. "Don't give up on me, Blondie."

I didn't respond. I just hoped I wasn't making a mistake giving her an idea of where I was. Kacia looked like she wanted to say more then looked to the side quickly, like she heard something. Then she looked back at me, a strange look in her eyes.

"Wait for us, Naruto."

Then she slashed her hand through the image and it disappeared. I hung my head and stared at the floor. Somewhere, some small part of me was glad that Kacia was searching for me. But, the rest of me wanted to scream at them to stay as far away as possible. I'd rather die here then lead them into a treacherous situation—or possibly to their deaths.

For the longest time, I hung there listening for the familiar sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor towards where I was being held. But it never came. I saw something dark dart across the room and pause at the foot of one of the posts. I squinted, trying to make it out. I realized it was the same mouse I had seen in my cell. I was happy to see him, for whatever reason. I smiled faintly, wishing I could reach down and pet him. He stretched up on his hind legs and sniffed up at me, his whiskers twitching. Then he bent and sniffed around the posts. After a few seconds, he picked something up and darted back across the room. I watched him go, wondering where he was going. He slipped through a chink in the stone and disappeared. Somewhat saddened, I closed my eyes, longing to escape into the darkness. It didn't take long and soon, I was gone, my pain forgotten.

**A/N: And it's done! Again, I'm really sorry about the late update. This chapter took some thinking. But, thanks to Mr. Question Mark and Namikaze541 for reviewing, you guys are awesome :D So, obviously, this chapter is focused on Naruto and how he's doing. Sorry if the flashback was a little hard to discern from reality. I didn't want to use italics so I just typed it normally. Anyway, next chapter is Kacia and possibly a little more Naruto, I haven't decided yet. **

** But, I wanted to kinda explain the lyrics at the beginning. I usually don't, but I will on this one. I wanted to show how Naruto is kind of losing hope, so to speak, on escaping and just getting back home period. And I know one of his big defining characteristics is his determination but he is also human and of course, all humans start to lose hope at some point. So yeah…that's what that means. **

** Anyways, please give me your feedback! I love to hear what you guys think **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Naruto Shippuden, the book series Percy Jackson or the song by Bryan Adams. They belong to their rightful owners. **


	12. Chapter 11

**Alright, I know this chapter is **_**way **_**beyond late. I think I've set a new record. But, I was sick and had tons of catch up homework and then I had finals. But, I'm out of school now so I'll be able to update faster :D I hope you guys like this chapter and please give me your feedback! **

**Thanks to wyvern87 for reviewing, your awesome :D **

**Onto the story!**

**.::**_Chapter 11_**::.**

**.::**_Kacia's POV_**::.**

I stood on top of the hill, my hand resting on a tree next to me, scanning the forest for any sign of the people who took Naruto. Even though we knew that any evidence that might've been there was probably gone, I still felt like we should look. We had been searching for a day and a half now and still haven't found anything to point us in the right direction. The only lead we had was the faint traces of blood where Rain said she had found the piece of fabric with the insignia on it. Although we couldn't tell who's blood it was, it was probably from when they captured Naruto. Soon though, we needed to move on.

The time to question Christian was growing closer. I didn't want to waste any more time here. The more time we spent here, the less time Naruto has. I still couldn't get his face out of my head. Something was different. Just the way he looked at me, his eyes were so….empty and bleak. They weren't the vibrant, cerulean blue I was used to, instead they were muted and dull. It was like he had given up. It was so un-Naruto like to give up like that. It worried me. What had those people done to him to make him retreat so far into himself?

Sighing, I looked out into the forest. A little ways off, Percy was walking slowly, turning his head this way and that, searching for any possible leads. Farther on, I could just see Annabeth with Christian. I couldn't see Nico, but I knew he was around somewhere. Rain was crouching by a stream, inspecting something. I brightened. Maybe she had found something. I hurried down the hill and through the underbrush towards her.

"What is it?" I asked, moving around to her side, my boots splashing in the stream.

Rain touched it lightly with her finger tips. "It looks like a footprint, probably human."

"Is it recent?"

"I don't think so….but I'm no expert."

I scanned the ground around the tracks but I didn't see any others. So whoever it was had been alone. I raised my head and spotted Nico in the distance studying a bush. I watched as he touched a leaf with his fingers, looked at them, then whipped them on his jeans. Ok?

"Nico!" I called. He looked up towards me and raised his eyebrows in question. "Come here!"

He'd be able to tell us if the tracks were recent or not. Maybe we got lucky and found a stray from the group that took Naruto. Of course, it could also be some random person just hiking through the woods. Nico appeared by my side and crouched down next to the track, careful not to disturb it. He studied it, touching it lightly with his fingers.

"Is it recent?" Rain asked, watching him curiously.

"Not really. A few days, maybe a week old," Nico replied, standing.

I put my hands in my jacket pockets, a sudden, cold wind whipping my hair around my face. "Do you think it's one of the people who took Naruto or just someone wondering around?"

Nico shrugged. "No way to tell. Whoever it is, I don't think we need to worry about it."

A short, sharp whistle sounded and all three of us looked around. Percy was watching us, a finger pointed in our direction. He mouthed, 'What did you find?' I mouthed that we had found a footprint but it wasn't recent. Percy nodded then went back to searching.

Rain frowned, chewing her bottom lip, her hands in her jacket pockets. "I'm gonna follow the trail to see if it leads anywhere."

"Ok," I said, "Just don't go too far, try to stay within shouting distance."

She nodded and started along the trail of footprints. I watched her leave, feeling guilty about her brother. I truly felt guilty about the whole situation we were in. If it weren't for me, this whole thing wouldn't have happened. Christian being a traitor was just making the whole thing worse. I looked away and realized Nico was watching me.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

I shrugged, shaking my head. I wasn't sure how I was feeling, really. "I'll tell you later. Let's keep searching."

He nodded slowly and we continued the search together. After an hour or two of searching, we started back to camp since the sun was setting behind the trees. Annabeth and Rain took the lead, Percy, Nico and me following with Christian bringing up the rear. Our camp was nestled in the middle of some trees and bushes, which formed a circle. It was well hidden from prying eyes but also had a view of the night sky. It was also close to where I had fought Max and Brianna, which unnerved me a little. But I didn't mention it. As we neared the camp, I glanced over my shoulder at Christian, who was trailing behind the rest of us. If I was going to question Christian, this would be my chance. I hoped Nico or Percy would catch on and not return for either of us. I turned and started towards Christian. His gaze shifted to me as I approached, eyeing me warily. I stopped within arms distance of him.

"We need to know where Naruto is," I said, skipping straight to the point. "You know where he is, don't you?"

Christian sighed irritably and shook his head, his gaze wondering the forest then going back to me. "I don't know where he is, Kacia. You're wasting your time."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I really wanted to question him beyond Naruto—find out why he was working for those people. But I didn't have that much time. Even if Nico caught on, if I took too long they would return to search for me and Christian. "Don't evade the question, Christian. Where are they keeping Naruto? It's not a hard question."

He set his jaw and moved to step around me. "I'm not answering your questions, so like I said, you're wasting your time."

I grabbed his shirt and shoved him towards a tree, his back thudding against the trunk. I held him there, my hands on his chest. "Where are they keeping him?" I growled.

Christians blue eyes flashed and electricity flickered on his fingers. That worried me somewhat, but I didn't back away. He wasn't stupid enough to attack me. Not when we were within shouting distance of the camp.

"I'm not telling you, Kacia," He said, his voice low, but barely controlled. He was obviously getting closer to losing his temper.

I glared, my hands tightening on his shirt. I opened my mouth to speak then the worst possible person appeared through the trees.

"There you two are—" Rain began then stopped abruptly. She stared at us, frozen in place, her eyes confused. My stomach dropped like I had been pushed off a mountain and was free falling. My grip loosened on Christian's shirt and I took a step back, suddenly wanting to get as far away from him as possible.

"What's going on…?" Rain asked, her voice confused and somewhat hurt.

"Rain….," I said, not knowing how to even begin to explain everything. "Everything's fine, just go back to camp." I hated lying to her but I couldn't explain it now. Rain shook her head slowly, looking at me then fixing her eyes on Christian. I could tell she was torn between obeying me and defending her brother from whatever she thought I had been doing.

"Christian…?" She said, her eyes imploring.

Christian shook his head. "Go back to camp, Rain. We'll catch up later."

I could tell it was hard for him to lie to his sister, but he didn't say anything else. Rain gave me one last pleading look, and it took everything I had to keep my mouth shut. Finally, she turned and walked through the trees towards camp. I released the breathe I had been holding, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. I looked back at Christian, who was starring in the direction Rain had disappeared. At that point, I truly didn't want to question him, but I had to. We needed to know where Naruto was. He wouldn't last much longer, not in the state he had been in.

"Christian," I said slowly. "Don't make this difficult. Just tell me where their keeping Naruto."

His gaze shifted over to me. Despite Rain finding us, his eyes were like ice. "I'm not telling you, Kacia. You're just gonna to have to find him on your own."

In desperation, I went for the only possible thing I could think of. "Listen, if you don't tell me the exact location where there keeping Naruto, I'll tell Rain everything. She'd probably be shocked and hurt—her only brother working with the enemy. You don't want that, do you?"

I was surprised at my own voice. I knew I could be harsh, but I sounded downright cold. Lightning leapt over his knuckles, scattering over his hand and running up his forearm. I briefly wondered if I had gone too far. But he didn't move to attack me. He just stood there, unmoving. I could tell he was torn. I didn't enjoy black mailing people, but it was the only way I could convince him to tell me the information I wanted. Finally, he sighed and unclenched his fist.

"The place their holding Naruto is in that direction," Christian said slowly, pointing north. "I'd have to look at a map to get the exact location, but I can get you there."

I studied him, looking for any sign that he was lying, but didn't see anything. Of course, he could just be a skilled liar. Either way, it was the only lead we had at this point, so we might as well go with it. When we reached camp, the sun had set and the moon was rising in the sky. Rain was fast asleep, using her pack as a pillow and a thin blanket covering her body. Annabeth was asleep next to her, curled on her side, her arms drawn to her chest. Percy and Nico were talking quietly on the opposite end of camp. As we entered, both boys looked up, questions forming on their lips. I shook my head slightly and they went back to their conversation. Christian went over to his sister and sat nearby, leaning against a tree.

The way he watched her, I could tell he truly loved and cared about Rain. But that's really what I didn't understand. He was working for the enemy and essentially betraying his sister, maybe not directly, but he was. I wanted to know why, but it seems that's the one question I wouldn't get answered. I strode over to where Percy and Nico were sitting and sat down cross legged. We weren't completely out of ear shot from Christian, but I didn't think it mattered. He seemed to be in deep thought anyway.

"Did you get anything out of him?" Percy asked, his voice low.

"Yeah. He knows where their keeping Naruto, but he said he needs a map to determine the exact location," I told them, scooting closer just to be safe.

"Where would he find a map of this area?" Nico asked, frowning.

I shrugged. As long as he could figure out a way to get us there, I didn't really care what he did. "I don't know. But as long as he gets us there, I don't think it matters."

Both boys nodded agreement. We lapsed into silence, but it was nice. I hadn't realized how tired I was until I was sitting still. I could have easily crashed, but I could tell something was bothering the two of them. My suspicions were confirmed when Nico and Percy exchanged looks, as if deciding to bring something up or not.

"Well? What is it?" I finally asked, looking from one to the other.

"Chiron contacted us while you and Christian were gone," Nico said, holding my gaze, "Apparently, more and more ninjas are appearing, all of them within the borders of the camp. He said some of them were actually entering the camp and freaking people out."

I furrowed my eyebrows. That didn't sound good. "They can get past the magical barrier?"

Percy nodded. He actually looked mad. I couldn't tell whether it was because we couldn't stop what was going on or because these people were invading the camp. "Obviously they can. Maybe it's because there from another world. But, their causing more and more fights. Chiron said that demigods were going to the infirmary severely injured. Some were found unconscious."

I groaned and rubbed my face with my hands. This was getting more and more chaotic. I felt so helpless. I had never spent much time at camp, but it still felt like a home to me.

"Has anyone died?" I asked quietly, not wanting to know the answer. I looked at Nico, and he avoided my gaze, starring at the ground. "People are dying in these fights?"

"Not a lot," He finally said, sighing. "But a few."

Being the son of the god of the dead, Nico was the one that was supposed to help the souls that had died pass over to the Underworld. I wondered what happened whenever he didn't come. I didn't want to think about it. I could tell Nico was thinking along those lines, but he probably knew what would happen. I didn't bother asking though.

Since it was late, we all decided to get some rest. I fell asleep immediately but unfortunately I didn't stay asleep. I woke up in the middle of the night and tossed and turned, trying to convince my body to go back to sleep. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't fall asleep. I sighed, irritated, and looked around camp. Everyone was there except Nico. Curious and somewhat worried, I stood walked into the forest, trying to be as quiet as possible. As I walked, I shivered in my jacket. The temperature had dropped significantly since morning. Fall was close by. I was happy about that, I enjoyed the cold weather, but I was reminded that demigods would be leaving Camp for the winter. I remembered my dream about the war between demigods and ninjas. If demigods began leaving, that would make the camp vulnerable to attack. Unless, given the circumstances, the demigods that weren't year long campers decided to stay. They probably would. No demigod would let someone take over that camp without a fight.

My mind reluctantly went to what Percy and Nico had told me earlier about the ninjas appearing more frequently and causing fights and probably hostility towards them. I wondered if Naruto's home was going through the same thing. I'll admit, I was mad at the ninjas for invading my world and attacking other demigods. But, I also couldn't help but feel sympathy for Naruto and his world. I knew it wasn't their fault that this was happening. They probably felt the same way we were. It hit me then that we really weren't that much different. Sure, we lived differently, but ultimately, we were the same. We both wanted to protect our worlds and I'm sure we both wanted this whole situation to be over. Naruto living at Camp Half-Blood was proof that we could coexist with each other and not tear each other a part. I sighed. Despite that, I didn't see how we could prevent the war. We didn't even know who was behind all this. I groaned and clenched my fist.

"Can't sleep?"

I halted and looked towards the voice and saw Nico sitting in a tree watching me. I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed him.

"Yeah. I can't stop thinking about all that's going on."

He jumped down from his perch and landed next to me. I could tell that the situation with the two worlds and rescuing Naruto weighed heavily on him. It did on all of us. "You're worried about Naruto, aren't you?" He said, watching me. "That's what's been bothering you."

I rubbed my arms against the cold and returned his gaze. "Aren't you?"

"Yeah, but he'll survive. He never seemed like the type to give up easily."

I averted my eyes and starred into the forest. My conversation with Naruto yesterday came back to me. I had seen many people in similar situations has his and no matter how strong they were, they never survived. A tiny voice in my head argued that Naruto would be different. He would live. But he had been severely injured and he had looked so weak. He himself looked like he had given up. If you had lost your will to live, how could you survive?

"Kacia?"

I came out of my thoughts and looked at Nico. He was watching me with a concerned look in his eyes. "I spoke with Naruto."

Nico raised his eyebrows, obviously surprised. "When?"

"Yesterday. I created an Iris-message. I was hoping maybe to get an idea of where he was at."

"What did he say?"

"He said that he didn't know exactly where he was, but thought that he was probably underground." I paused. I wasn't sure if I should tell Nico about the condition Naruto had been in. I didn't want to make him worry further.

"And? What else?" Nico persisted.

I sighed. "You won't like it."

"Tell me anyway," He said, slipping his hands in his pockets and watching me.

"He didn't look good," I told him, hugging myself. "He was severely injured and hanging from these poles by his arms. He was thin and weak." I closed my eyes and shook my head, not wanting to picture Naruto's broken body. "He had blood all over his body. They beat him half to death, Nico."

"Kacia….." He said softly. I knew Nico well enough to know that even though he wasn't voicing it, he was probably furious with those people for beating Naruto.

"He looked like he had given up on living," I said quietly, "I don't think he's gonna last much longer."

I reached out and hugged him, burying my face in the crook of his neck. I needed some security and comfort. That's yet another thing I loved about Nico—he was solid. You could always count on him. Nico wrapped his arms around me tightly.

"Hey, Naruto will live, alright? I promise. We'll find him," He said firmly.

I held him for a few more minutes then pulled away. "If he doesn't….will you tell me?"

Nico's expression became pained, but he nodded. "I will."

We headed back to camp and Nico went to sleep. I wasn't tired even though it was late. So, I just sat by my bag, leaning against the tree and thinking. I always wondered just what Naruto's village was like. I knew they had a slightly different rule system and I knew Naruto and the rest of his team were similar to the military. But that's really it. I wanted to know what it looked like, what the people were like, where Naruto lived. I wanted to meet the rest of his team, the infamous Kakashi-Sensei. I wanted to know what missions he had been on, why he decided to become a ninja in the first place. I wanted to know who his parents were and what they were like. I don't know how long I sat there just thinking about what Naruto's life might have been like, but soon the sun was peeking over the horizon. I was so going to regret not going back to sleep like Nico had. I stood and stretched my arms over my head then walked over to Christian. If he wanted to go get a map or whatever he needed to find the location of the place they were keeping Naruto then now was a good time. I didn't want to waste any more time than we needed to.

I nudged him with the tip of my boot. "Hey, wake up."

He moaned and shifted onto his back, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "It's barley even dawn," He mumbled, gazing up at me. "Were you up all night?"

I shook my head, yawning. "No. Just most of it. Get up. If you wanna go find a map or whatever, now's the time."

Christian sighed but got to his feet. Rain stirred where she was sleeping and gazed sleepily at us.

"Are we leaving already?" She yawned, stretching out her body.

"No, but I'm gonna go find a map of this area," Christian told her, "It might give us a better idea of where Naruto might be."

Well, he was very good at making up stories. Although that probably wasn't a good thing.

Rain sat up and got to her feet. "Can I come?"

Christian shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

She slung her red back pack across one shoulder and Christian did the same.

"Don't take too long," I told him, giving him a look. He nodded and waved his hand dismissively then he and Rain headed off in the direction of the town. I strode over to my bag and rummaged around for food. I found some dried fruit and sat on the ground, munching on it. I didn't bother waking everyone else up. I figured Christian and his sister wouldn't be back for at least half an hour. Soon, Annabeth stirred and looked around camp then settled on me.

"Where did Christian and Rain go?" She asked, sitting up.

"They went to go find a map of the area," I told her, then figured I might as well tell her the whole story. "Christian knows where their keeping Naruto but says he needs a map to find the exact location. Rain wanted to go with him."

Annabeth nodded and stood, stretching her arms above her head. I raised my bag of dried fruit towards her and she walked over and took a handful then sat down next to me. We sat in silence for a while then I asked how she and Percy had met, since I had never heard the story. She told me how he had come to Camp Half-Blood and how she had taken care of him. Then about their quest to return Zeus' lightning bolt and their other quests since then. I told her about how Nico and I had met, which was a story I rarely told.

"Well, we should probably wake those two up," Annabeth said, once I was finished.

"Probably." I agreed. I stood and went over to Nico. I knelt and shook his shoulder. "Hey, Death Boy, rise and shine."

In response, he moan and pulled the blanket over his head. I rolled my eyes and prodded his side. He flinched and his hand shot out to slap my hand away.

"Come on," I coaxed, "You got to sleep in."

Nico sighed loudly but moved the blanket off of him and rolled onto his back, looking over at where Annabeth was waking a reluctant Percy up.

"Christian and Rain went to find a map?" Nico asked, noticing their absence.

I nodded. "They should be back soon."

After the boys had eaten and we had packed up our stuff, Christian and Rain returned. They did have a map, but I don't think it was of the forest. It had the forest located on it, yes, but also the town and some other places I didn't recognize. I suppose it didn't matter though. Christian explained where we were and where they were "probably" keeping Naruto. He also said that it would take too long to travel on foot so he thought we should shadow-travel, which everyone agreed with. Nico examined the map to get a feel of where the place was located then did his whole 'summoning the shadows' and we disappeared. I just hoped we weren't too late.

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><p><strong>AN: And at long last, its finished! Again, I'm soooo sorry about the **_**extremely **_**late update. Along with all the excuses I said earlier, I just couldn't figure out how I wanted to do this chapter. I knew what I wanted to do, but didn't know exactly how to lay it out in the chapter. But, it's here now :D I hope you guys like it, thanks again to wyvern8 for reviewing, your awesome *hands cookie and pie* Anyways, please review! I want to know what you think of this chapter ;D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Naruto Shippuden nor the book series Percy Jackson, they belong to their rightful owners. **


	13. Chapter 12

**Hey! I am extremely sorry for the majorly late update. You guys have every right to be mad at me *curls in a ball in the corner* I had to rethink some things in the plot line. Of course, the plot is still generally the same; I just had to change some minor details. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter **** and please review! **

"Put me to sleep, Evil Angel

Open your wings, Evil Angel

Fly over me, Evil Angel

Why can't I breathe, Evil Angel?"

~Evil Angel by Breaking Benjamin

**.::**_Chapter 12_**::.**

**.::**_Naruto's POV_**::.**

I swayed from side to side on the chains, starring at the stone floor. The sparks of pain this triggered seemed distant and vague. Most things seemed far off now though. I had lost track of time. I didn't know how long I've been hanging here. I assumed maybe three or four days. Minutes and hours stretched and merged together until they were just one single, endless loop. The only thing that broke the cycle was the usual two-man units they sent down here to check on me. But, recently they had begun giving me more food and beating me less and less. Because of this, my wounds had begun to heal more quickly.

But, it probably meant they were preparing for the mysterious jutsu the dead shinobi had written about on the cell wall. I didn't really care about that though. I half hoped that the jutsu took my life. Then this whole thing would end. I didn't see the point in fighting anyway. I didn't know how to undo the jutsu and once it was preformed, something was going to happen to both our worlds. At least when the jutsu took my life, it wouldn't succeed and whoever was behind this would have to find someone else to use as a means to harm our worlds. Then Kacia and the others would have more time to make sure it never happened again.

I took deep breathe then winced as my ribcage protested loudly. I looked at the deep, purple-blue bruise stretching across my left ribcage. I could see the faint outline of the ribs, a few of which appeared to be bent inward at different angles and cracked. They were obviously broken, which I could deal with. But, they seemed to have grown worse over the span of time I had been hanging here. I didn't know the extent of the damage but I knew enough to know that if one lung collapsed, I would be dead within at least a week, maybe less, from internal damage and bleeding. As for my other injuries, my wrists were the only ones that weren't necessarily healing. They were still raw and bleeding. Because of my insistent movement, blood zigzagged down my forearms. My back still hurt from multiple floggings, which would probably leave scars. It was more than likely caked in blood. But as far as I could tell, none of the gashes were infected. At least, they didn't smell like it.

I wondered how Kacia and the others were doing. Did they have any idea of where I was? I hoped they were okay. I wanted to scream at them to stay away from this place, to leave me here. I looked up at the sound of footsteps in the passage way outside my room. As I listened, they grew closer and soon there was the sound of a door being unlocked. The door protested loudly as it was pushed open and the light of a lantern illuminated three people, one of which carrying the lantern. I didn't recognize the one carrying the lantern but I did recognize the one next to him as Max. As they grew closer, Max and the other one parted to reveal the third person. The man was tall and had dark hair that was graying along the sides. He had a light beard that also had wisps of grey in it. He wore navy pants and a T-shirt with a vest over it, similar to the ones the jonin wore at Konoha. His eyes were what caught me though. They were dark, almost black, and had a deep malevolent look in them. He stopped in front of me, the soft thud of his boots echoing throughout the room.

"Ah, Kyuubi," He said, a small smile forming on his face, "I apologize for not being able to meet with you sooner, I had some unexpected delays." He slowly circled around behind me, his fingers lightly touching my back. "You have shown remarkable healing abilities and resilience, as expected of a Jinchuuriki." He walked back around to my front and tilted my chin up, forcing me to look at him.

I stared into his dark eyes briefly then dropped them towards the ground. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and turned my head slightly. Just outside the beam of the lantern, was the mouse. He was watching the scene quietly, twitching his whiskers absently.

"You seem to have lost your spirit." The man continued, forcefully turning my head back towards him. "Maybe this will encourage you. I'm sorry to say your companions will not be joining us anytime soon. They assume their being led to this location." He chuckled softly. "It's amusing what people will do in desperation."

That triggered something inside me. My eyes flashed and my fists clenched. My nails cut into my palms and hot blood trickled down and dripped from the shackles. "Stay away from them," I growled. I would have struck out at him if I hadn't been restrained. My reaction obviously pleased him.

"You will do nicely," The man said softly, smiling coldly. He turned to Max. "Go fetch the others."

Max's eyes lingered on me briefly, a mocking smirk on his face, then he turned and left the room. A few minutes later, Max returned with four men following behind. They were dressed in all black with cloths covering the bottom half of their faces. Their attire was identical to the various villages of the Five Nations. So, this man was using these shinobi to aid him in performing this jutsu. Anger sparked somewhere inside me but I shoved it back down. There was nothing I could do. The leader nodded to Max, who retreated a little ways off. The boy holding the lantern stepped towards a hook dangling a couple feet away from me and hung the lantern on it, then retreated towards Max.

The men dressed in black formed a semi-circle around me, their leader in the middle. They all formed multiple hand signs in unison. The leader then formed a different hand sign and began muttering under his breath, when he was finished he clapped his hands together in front of his chest. The four men dressed in black began chanting, swaying side to side. Suddenly, I felt a great force released inside me, like someone had broken a large dam and the water roared free. Before I knew it, I was drowning in hatred. All I wanted to do was break free of these chains and destroy everything around me. My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I moaned. My fists clenched and I wrenched at the chains, the noise echoing through the room. I began to froth at the mouth. Hot pain seared my body. It ran along my chest and upper arms, burning my skin. Then, as quickly as it began, it ended.

I felt the Nine-Tails chakra pulled away from mine. I knew it was there—I could feel it. But, it didn't affect me—like oil and water. Usually, I never felt the Nine-Tails chakra inside me unless I sought it out. Now though, I could feel it running through me. It warmed my body but I could feel it draining me. Slowly, my strength was waning. This was probably the effects of the jutsu. It was also most likely the problem they had with the other shinobi. They didn't have enough strength or chakra to last the course of the jutsu. Suddenly, I couldn't keep my eyes open. Darkness opened up before me. I saw a hazy image of the leader gazing at me, his eyes gleaming, then everything went black.

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><p><strong>AN: And its finished! *double fist in the air* Yes, I know its depressingly shorter than the others. But, I figured you guys had waited long enough. Anyway, please review! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the anime Naruto Shippuden, the book series Percy Jackson nor the song by Breaking Benjamin. They belong to their rightful owners. **


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